Transportation in Burkina Faso
Urban transport
The cities of Burkina Faso are naturally equipped with various transport options. There are six main means of urban transport: bus, taxi, bush taxi, train, motorbike taxi and air transport.
The bus
Burkina Faso has large, modern buses that offer comfort to passengers. The network is extremely extensive and easily accessible. Each bus company has its own bus station. In parallel, other bus stations have been set up near the motorway. Every major city in the country has at least one bus company that provides daily access to Ouagadougou and other Burkinabe cities.
Taxi
The cities of Burkina Faso are naturally equipped with taxis, which remain the most practical means of transport and the most used by the Burkina Faso population. Taxis take several passengers going in the same direction. To avoid unpleasant surprises, the price is negotiated before departure and varies according to the distance and the neighborhood.
The taxi-brousse
The inevitable taxi-brousse is also present in Burkina Faso and is the means of transport most used by the locals to connect the different parts of the country, although it only serves local or urban routes. Like the collective taxi, the taxi-brousse only starts when all seats are occupied, making timetables rather uncertain.
Motorbike taxis
The train
Burkina Faso has a 1,260 km long train line linking Ouagadougou to Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire via Koudougou, Bobo-Dioulasso and Banfora. The railway network is managed and maintained by the Société internationale de transport SITARAIL. Fares vary according to the class chosen, the first class is air-conditioned. Approximately 910,000 tonnes of goods and 300,000 people transit the railway every year and several investments are being made to expand the rail network.
Air transport
Burkina Faso has two international airports: Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso, as well as some 15 airfields in the interior of the country. Air Burkina is entirely responsible for domestic flights, while other international airlines such as Air France and many others link the country to foreign capitals. The national airline, Air Burkina, flies from Ouagadougou to Bobo-Dioulasso twice a week and also to the capitals of surrounding countries.
