The Directorate General of Land Transport and Traffic (DGTTC) is launching, from April 15, a historic reform to professionalize the minibus sector.

Indispensable, noisy, and sometimes unpredictable, the gbakas are the lifeblood of Abidjan's transportation system. Yet, behind this daily spectacle lies a structural disorder that the Ivorian government has decided to regulate. The goal? To move from an informal, makeshift system to a modern, integrated transport network.

1. A data-driven strategy rather than a force-driven one

Unlike past attempts at regulation, often marked by repression, the DGTTC is this time relying on on-the-ground intelligence.

1. April 15th: The operation officially begins.
2. The method: Deployment of hundreds of volunteers for exhaustive mapping.
3. The mission: To identify passenger flows, congestion areas and major points of tension.

“To govern is to foresee. And to foresee is to understand before acting,” reminds the DGTTC. This observation phase is an essential prerequisite for including gbakas in the Greater Abidjan mobility master plan.

2. A major player in the urban economy

The figures provided by AMUGA (Urban Mobility Authority in Greater Abidjan) are unequivocal: the gbaka is not a secondary mode of transport, it is the market leader.

Indicator	Key Data
Daily commutes	More than 3.2 million
Market share (public transport)	> 40%
Total mobility of Greater Abidjan	19.18%
Attendance in Adjamé	15,000 vehicles per day

These vehicles even surpass SOTRA in terms of passenger volume, supporting thousands of families and generating colossal economic activity.

3. The challenges: Security, Civic Responsibility and Competition

Despite their usefulness, the picture is not without flaws. The sector is being criticized for several problematic practices:

1. Road safety: Involved in 15% of accidents in Abidjan (old and risky driving).
2. Abusive practices: Phenomenon of "segmenting" journeys and opacity of certain unions.
3. Social impact: Transport weighs heavily on household budgets (up to 30% of income).

4. Towards coexistence with the Metro and the BRT

The government is adamant: there is no question of abolishing the gbakas. Such a decision would paralyze the city and create hardship for users. The idea is rather to support a gradual transition .

With the imminent arrival of the Abidjan Metro and Bus Rapid Transit ( BRT ) system, as well as the strengthening of SOTRA (the Abidjan public transport company), the gbaka sector has no choice but to modernize. To survive, it will need to improve its reliability and safety, while also gaining the support of transport operators who are often wary of public authorities.

The challenge is significant: to transform an essential chaos into an exemplary public service.