Dakar — The Minister of Land Infrastructure and Opening up announced on Thursday the forthcoming circulation of 800 new minibuses as part of the modernization of the Senegalese car fleet.

"The modernization of the vehicle fleet will be continued with the forthcoming circulation of 800 new minibuses dedicated to the private operators of the AFTU", said Me Oumar Youm.

Speaking at the launch ceremony of the 17th edition of the National Road Safety Week, he also announced the forthcoming circulation of a first batch of 442 vehicles acquired within the framework of bilateral cooperation between India and Senegal.

In the same register, he underlined that the vehicle fleet renewal program, started in 2005, has been amplified through "the commissioning of 1,604 minibuses, 475 buses to reinforce Dakar Dem Dikk and 150 heavy-duty trucks".

"The Head of State has engaged, in our quest for emergence, the modernization of the land transport sector in order to provide our country with an efficient land transport system, (...), to improve the movement of people and goods with more comfort, security and speed," said Youm.

According to him, "this is the meaning of the vast program of construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of road and motorway infrastructure which has enabled the construction since 2012 of more than 1,762 km of paved roads and 221 km of roads actually in use".

The government "has initiated an ambitious program to digitize transport tickets which aims to further secure these tickets and strengthen road safety", added the minister.

He continued that the State "is implementing emblematic and innovative projects of the regional express train +TER+ and the rapid transit bus +BRT+ in order to improve transport services and establish urban mobility".