Driving in Madagascar
Many roads are impassable during Madagascar's wet season; some bridges (often narrow, one-lane structures) are vulnerable to being swept away.
On some roads, to deter attacks from dahalo, the government of Madagascar requires that drivers travel in convoys of at least ten vehicles.
[2]: 341 After France conquered Madagascar in 1895, French colonial administrators, who did not understand the water and transportation system in place under the Merina Kingdom,[3]: 306 immediately began building roads.
[2]: 356 Porters collectively resisted the creation of roads, continuing a pre-conquest movement in opposition to using horses which saw the stoning of European horse-riders in Antananarivo.
In 1901, porters staged demonstrations against the introduction of pousse-pousses (rickshaws), but the latter prevailed when a road between Antananarivo and Toamasina was completed in 1902.
[6]: 48, 50 In subsequent decades, the country relied heavily upon water and air travel for transportation, performing minimal investment and maintenance in its road infrastructure.
[fr 2] Routes nationales connect Antananarivo to Antsiranana, Toamasina, Morondava, and Toliara[11]: 65 and make up 11,746 kilometers (7,299 mi) of the country's road network.
[15] As natural gravel is not regularly available on the island of Madagascar, many roads are composed of sand lined with crushed stone.
[12][17] As of 2019[update], only 11.4 percent of rural Malagasy live within 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) of a road in good condition, leaving 17 million without such access.
[11]: 73 Taxi brousse company fleets range in size from a single vehicle to over a hundred, and may serve one or more urban, regional, or national lines.
[11]: 70 National lines[fr 3] travel from their origin to their destination directly, disallowing improvised stops along the route.
They often are filled above their intended capacities, sometimes close to double, with small children riding for free on their parents' laps.
The researchers recount that the tight space can lead to conflict among passengers and requires people exiting to either jump out of a window or have everyone in front of them get out too.
[11]: 70, 72 The assistant driver, who interacts with passengers and loads and unloads luggage, does not get a seat and either stands against the door or travels on the outside of the vehicle.
[11]: 80 Researchers observed that the drivers often appear to eat for free, as part of arrangements between the taxi brousse companies and restaurants they stop at.
[11]: 72 As of 2018[update], taxi brousse companies must register with the government and pay 2,400,000 Malagasy ariary (US$720) in fees and taxes per vehicle.
[11]: 89 Vehicles seek to travel at higher speeds, but become more vulnerable to attacks when forced by potholes to slow.
[5] It is customary in Madagascar to blow one's car horn while traveling around road curves in order to notify other drivers of one's presence.
