Taxi Services

Regular city taxis are plentiful and relatively inexpensive in Abidjan, however they are often kept in poor condition. There is a meter system installed in some of the taxis, but they are not used. Instead, the price for the ride is negotiated and agreed upon prior to getting into the taxi. It is rare that a taxi driver will speak English so it is beneficial to have your destination mapped out on your phone or at least be able to say the destination in French.

An average trip or 15-20 minutes costs about 2 000 CFA between 2 neighborhoods (communes), but it can vary based on the time of day and how much traffic the driver anticipates. If possible, take your first couple of trips with a local until you get used to the fares and the negotiation process!

It is also very important to tell the driver in advance if you do not have small bills to pay for the fare. It is common that the drivers do not have enough small bills to give you change for a larger bill. So if you are carrying only a 10,000 CFA bill, be sure to inform them prior to entering the taxi to make sure they can give you the correct change.

When you arrive in Abidjan, you will quickly notice the different colors of taxis which related to the different communes and services they provide:

ICity Taxis (Reddish-Orange)

These are the most common and have authorization to drive throughout the city. At almost any time of day, in almost every part of the city, you’re never too far from a reddish-orange taxi.

Communal Taxis (Yellow, Blue, Green)

These are known locally as “woro-woros”. They operate on a fixed route (such as from Riviera 1 to Riviera 2) which is based on their color. They are driven on a ride-share basis. This means they will stop along the way to drop off/pick up passengers along the route whenever they have space available in the car. These are obviously much cheaper as you share the fare, but the taxis are often in very bad condition and there are security risks involved – pick-pocketing from fellow passengers is known to happen.