Renault Dauphine, Citroën Ami 6, Simca Aronde, Peugeot 203: in the past, taxis displayed their fare stickers—day rates, night rates, upper town, lower town, waiting times—carefully protected behind a square of glass on their windshields.
Drivers of that era knew that by going up Rue Jean Andriamady, they would reach the junction of Rue Gallieni-basse and Rue Gallieni-haute, before descending Rue Romain-Desfossés to emerge at Place Goulette. Today, one would have to navigate based on Collège Rafiringa, Hôtel Palissandre, or the bookstalls at Ambohijatovo.
Sometimes, out of weariness and resignation to the decline in standards, I have given up explaining where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is and opted for the simplest landmark: the “Tribunal.” People apparently visit the courthouse more often than they care about the “Raharaham-bahiny” (Foreign Affairs).
Lalana Andriamifidy? A contemporary driver would look at you like an alien. In London, “black cab” drivers must memorize the city’s entire street map. Here, we rely on baroque landmarks like a surviving tree, a taxibe terminus, or a painted facade.
This ignorance among current taxi drivers makes the socialist-Marxist pretension of renaming Antananarivo’s streets after obscure progressive leaders seem all the more ridiculous. This indifference has also, unfortunately, allowed the name of Antananarivo’s founder, Andrianjaka, to be relegated to the flood-prone plains of Ambodin’Isotry rather than his Rova, while the names of kings like Andriamasinavalona and Andrianampoinimerina are lost in the chaotic sprawl of Analakely.
Captured & Published at: 2026-10-15 05:38:34 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/10/course-en-taxi.html