Trying to figure out if buses and metros in Côte d'Ivoire take cards or if Ill need small cash. Any recent experiences?
I spent a month in Cote d’Ivoire earlier this year for a research project and got very familiar with the local transport system. None of the buses or city trains I used had any digital payment option not Amex, not Visa, not mobile money like Orange Pay either. The SOTRA buses in Cocody and Marcory were all cash-only, and even buying a monthly pass required paying at a kiosk in cash. If you're planning to move around daily, I suggest withdrawing a decent amount of CFA in small notes from a local ATM and keeping them separate coins are still useful too, especially on the gbaka minivans.
I’m used to using Apple Pay and contactless cards when I travel, so Cote d’Ivoire was a bit of an adjustment. Took the SOTRA buses around Abidjan in April and quickly learned that everything is run on cash, often exact change. There were no card readers on buses, and even when I asked about paying with card at the Treichville depot, the staff just laughed and pointed me toward the ATM. For anyone visiting, bring a mix of low-value CFA cash and don't count on Visa or Mastercard being useful for transport not even in the newer metro areas.
Used the public transport system in Cote d’Ivoire during a two-week trip and found that everything from government buses to gbakas (those shared minivans) was strictly cash-based. In Abidjan, the SOTRA bus terminals had kiosks, but none of them took international cards, not even my Revolut Mastercard. I had to queue at an Ecobank ATM just to get small notes because vendors rarely had change. The transport itself was cheap and reliable, but absolutely no digital payments or cards were accepted anywhere I went. Plan accordingly.
I was in Abidjan this March and used the SOTRA buses and the new metro system under trial. From what I saw, card payments are not widely accepted yet. Most locals use cash small CFA franc bills or coins and there's no contactless tap system like you'd see in Europe or Asia. Even at newer metro stops, the machines didn’t accept my Visa or Mastercard. I recommend carrying small denominations like 500 or 1,000 CFA notes for tickets, especially if you're hopping between zones or transferring from buses to informal minibuses.
I was in Abidjan this March and used the SOTRA buses and the new metro system under trial. From what I saw, card payments are not widely accepted yet. Most locals use cash small CFA franc bills or coins and there's no contactless tap system like you'd see in Europe or Asia. Even at newer metro stops, the machines didn’t accept my Visa or Mastercard. I recommend carrying small denominations like 500 or 1,000 CFA notes for tickets, especially if you're hopping between zones or transferring from buses to informal minibuses.