Safety Tips

SAFETY TIPS

1.     Stay alert!  Be aware of your surroundings.  Be on the lookout for suspicious persons. If you feel like someone is being too touchy, move away and to get another seat.

2.     Count it out! Have  the right amount needed to pay for your ticket close to you, and avoid carrying big bank notes to minimize risks of attracting too much attention on you.

3.     First things first! Pay for the ticket with the bus employee sitting in the box (the receveur) when you load onto the bus.

4.     Don’t bring it!  Only carry what you need for the trip; leave your other valuables at some in a secure location.  Sure, you probably do need your camera for your trip – but do you really need to bring your laptop?

5.     Plan ahead! If the trip is supposed to take ½ hour, plan for 2 hours (traffic jams and accidents are common in Dakar).

6.      Stay awake!  Don’t take a little “something” to help you sleep on that “long” bus ride. 

7.     Don’t put all your eggs in one basket!  Keep your money, IDs, tickets and other important items close to you at all times – but not all in one place. 

8.     Watch Out! Don’t trust someone if you really don’t know them – don’t invite someone you meet in the bus, whoever they pretend to be.

9.     Bring the change! Make sure you have the right amount of money needed to pay for your ticket close to you and avoid using large bank notes. Being a little over and need some change back shouldn’t be a problem, but don’t be excessive.

10.  Stay together! Don’t get off alone in an empty area especially after dark. Most areas of Dakar are full of people during the day, but at night that all changes. If you notice that you are being followed by someone after you left the bus, there is something to worry about. Find a safe place (a store, a house, one of the many security guards that can be found outside many homes and business in Dakar at night, etc), and wait to see what’s going on.

11.                       Zip it up!  And then lock it.  Putting locks on the zippers of your backpack will make it a little bit harder for a bad guy to get in. 

12.                       Keep an eye on it!  Pack light and avoid carrying expensive devices as much as you can. If you have to carry them, keep them on your laps and have hands on it at all times.

13.                       Keep it down!  Listening to your iPod can be a great way to pass the hours on a trip but don’t turn the volume up so loud that you can’t hear what’s going on around you.

14.                       Go to the back! If you are at the back of a bus. There is less of an opportunity for pickpockets, and if you are a woman taking public transit there is no chance that anyone take advantage of the crowded bus to get uncomfortably close to you.

15.                        Those who are not too comfortable with the public transit system  may want to  avoid “Blue and Yellow” buses called “Car Rapides). They are too old and brakes may not work properly for some of them.

16.                       Those who are not too comfortable with the public transit system may also want to take “Blue or yellow Dakar Dem Dikk buses” or the “Blue and White TATA” buses until they are more competent with the system.