Features of Urban Rides in Megacities and Small Towns

Ride services in Senegal allow people to get to their destination as quickly as possible even without bringing a car. But the experience of providing transportation services in big cities and in small towns are not the same.
Since Yango Pro services both places, why not learn more about them? By learning about urban and small-town ride challenges and their other differences, you can better pick which area you’d like to focus on.

To give you a summary, here are their main differences:

• Ride demand and availability. The demand tends to come more from the cities, so many drivers serve those areas more than small towns.
• Pricing system. Public transportation fares in rural areas are generally lower compared to urban areas.
• Traffic conditions. The traffic is usually heavier in urban areas because there are more vehicles using the road.
• Availability of ride-hailing apps. We provide info about the available drivers and clients even in smaller towns. However, this is not a feature that you’ll see a lot.
• Customer service. There’s a bigger expectation for a professional service compared to places outside the city where the relationship between the driver and Yango user is friendlier.

Through the rest of the text, we’ll get into more detail about the differences between transportation services in big cities and in small towns.

Compared to less developed areas, more people in big cities can afford to use such services. That’s why our partner fleets tend to focus on these areas. But since the ride demand is also high, especially during peak hours, it can still be hard to get a ride. It’s understood that because small towns aren’t as populated, there’s a lower demand for public transportation. This means a lower service availability in the area. But in general, it’s still easy to book a ride.

There’s no pricing guideline in Senegal. Whether you’re in urban or rural areas, it can just be what you negotiate with the user. But from what we’ve seen, there are still ride pricing differences between these places.
Rates tend to be higher when you’re in megacities like Dakar because people here can afford more. And with tourists and business travelers increasing the demand, then drivers are able to ask for a higher price.
From what we have seen, one of the biggest small-town ride challenges is making driving profitable enough. Since the demand isn’t that high, they can’t command the same rates.

The general experience while on the road is not the same, too. Here are the biggest differences:

• Traffic. Providers of transportation services in big cities spend more time per booking because of the heavy traffic. Meanwhile, with rural areas, you can get to the drop-off more quickly.
• Route alternatives. Roads are more developed in urban places. So, if there’s an issue with using a certain road, you can just use another. This may not always be an option when you’re not in the city anymore.
• Ease of navigation. Internet connectivity is better in more developed places. So, if you don’t know the way, you can rely on a navigation app. While there are now offline apps for the same purpose, these can’t reflect real-time road conditions.

As you can see, a lot of the issues in places like Dakar and Mbour have something to do with the higher ride demand. Meanwhile, problems in rural areas are because they don’t have the same facilities available in bigger cities.

Ride-hailing apps like Yango are always available in big cities. This has meant a few changes in how fares are determined. Ride pricing differences across drivers tend to diminish because there’s no negotiation going on already. Instead, the app itself tells you how much everything’s going to cost.
But since there’s limited availability of ride-hailing apps outside megacities, this is still one of the biggest small-town ride challenges. Drivers in Senegal who mostly operate in rural areas may sometimes be forced to accept lower negotiated fares if the demand is low.

Yango users may expect a more professional approach in Senegal’s urban areas, especially those who conduct business there. They also want a higher level of customer care, like opening the door for the Yango user and making sure that the vehicle is cool enough.
But when you get out of Senegal’s megacities, the dynamics tend to change a little. While you’re still expected to be pleasant to the customer, the relationship tends to be more friendly than professional.

Do you want to provide transportation services in the big cities and small towns of Senegal? Being aware of their differences will help you provide the necessary approach to service delivery.
But if you're still not decided where you should focus, we hope this helps. See where your own preferences most align with customer expectations and road conditions.