Conakry - Post Report Question and Answers
Are local buses, trams, trains or taxis safe and affordable?
Yes, probably very affordable, but public transportation is not safe, and not recommended. - Sep 2022
US Embassies almost always discourage you from using local public transport, and in most countries this can be overkill paranoia, but in Guinea I have to concede them the point. Drivers are often new to the endeavor, and possibly have never formally studied driving. They can be reckless, distracted, unaware of certain codes (like what you mean when you turn on your turn signal). So don't use taxis or motorcycles for hire. In your own driving, be defensive and alert. Really you don't need to do anything in Guinea that you shouldn't do when you're driving anywhere. Constantly check all your mirrors, don't make sudden moves, anticipate what's happening in front of and behind you. This is what we all learned in drivers’ ed when we were 15 years old. It's just that, whereas we can often get away with that errant glance at our cellphone on a highly ordered expressway in Middle America somewhere, you can't do that if you've got a preteen zooming a motorcycle by your right side as you're swerving to avoid a deep pothole in Conakry. - Jun 2021
No. Don't take them. - Nov 2019
No and yes. - May 2016
No, yes. - Dec 2014
Affordable yes, safe no. - Sep 2009
We can't use public transportation at the embassy. Shared taxis are affordable and readily available, but not the safest. Travel to the interior on public transport is only via bush taxi. - May 2009
Embassy staff are forbidden to use local taxis. They are assumed to be unsafe from both a mechanical and security standpoint. There is no functioning public transportation system, but the government has a shuttle system for its employees. - Mar 2008
