Maradi by bus · Maradi by bus
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Maradi by bus
Maradi by bus
All of Niger's major bus lines serve Maradi with one or two departures and one or two arrivals per day. The price for a ticket is about $20 to Niamey. These buses are reasonably fast, reliable, and punctual (at least in their departures from point of origin). They are less uncomfortable, and your ticket will buy you one seat, all your own, so it's the way to travel on a budget. That said, few of these buses have any amenities to speak of; with the rigid seats, the heat, the lack of suspension, and other indignities, the trip can still be brutal, and you can descend from the bus dehydrated, exhausted, and physically in pain on a bad day. Food can be purchased (and some deeply troubling bathrooms can be accessed) at a half-dozen major stations spaced somewhat regularly along the road; depending on factors like the weather and season, the trip to Niamey can take 8-11 hours. The same network of buses can get you directly to Dosso, Konni, and Zinder, among many smaller towns, and with a one-night stopover you can get to Tahoua, Agadez, Gaya, and Diffa. Many companies also offer international service to destinations including Benin, Togo, and Burkina Faso. Seats are ticketed and they are first come / first serve; don't bet that you can turn up at the station just before the bus leaves and get your ticket. Your ticket also covers baggage; the company might ask you to pay for excess baggage, but normally that's beyond the scope of what a traveler will carry (the author never experienced a 'pay-a-fee-so-we-don't-'accidentally'-lose-your-baggage-scam' on his numerous bus trips in Niger, unlike other countries in the region). Do not expect any stowed luggage to be treated gently.
Bus lines with service to Maradi include SNTV (the national transport company) as well as Aïr Transport (that's 'ay-yeer', a name for the northern desert, not 'air' like the sky), Azawad, EHGM, RTV (aka "Rimbo Transport"), and Sonitrav. Bus companies come and go with some frequency, so check when you get there. In this author's experience, there isn't a whole lot to separate the various companies; their prices and schedules are basically the same. Rimbo (RTV) has gotten in trouble with the government for having a bad safety record, though every company has accidents from time to time (the good news, perversely, for a traveler is that the bus is likely the biggest thing on the road; in most Nigerien bus accidents you're better off on the bus than off it). SNTV has a couple of more modern buses with air conditioning, better suspension, and video players (though as those players are often used to play 20-year old kung fu movies and some truly appalling music videos, whether this is a blessing or a curse is open to debate). You are therefore totally sane in choosing your bus based on the convenience of the station. In Maradi, the buses are strung along the main street; EHGM is farther north, SNTV and Azawad are central, near the market, and RTV, Sonitrav, and Aïr are more southerly.
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Maradi Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.