Stakeholders conflicts and use of bus stations in Antananarivo (Madagascar)

Bus stations in Africa are at the heart of urban socio-economic and spatial issues, and are among the infrastructures attracting the interest of both public and private players. Parking lots, as bus stations are usually called in Madagascar, are the departure and arrival points for regional and national bush taxis. In Antananarivo, as part of the Urban Mobility Improvement Program launched in 2003, they were the subject of redevelopment projects and the relocation of activities to new sites. This dynamic has been accompanied by a new approach to station management, generating tensions between the players themselves, particularly private investors, and resistance to change. This article seeks to understand the rationale of the various players. It highlights the discrepancy between the international imposition of standards and the interests of local players.