Crowds gathered yesterday at Amoronakona bus station as all transport vehicles serving the RN7 route officially began departing from the new facility. Passengers, parcel senders, cooperative employees, drivers and station staff moved continuously through the station hall on the first day of the transfer of all national and regional transport cooperatives serving the RN7 axis.
Some travelers searched for cooperatives while others looked for their vehicles. Cooperative agents were still finding their assigned boxes or setting them up, displaying their cooperative names on small signs made with markers or freshly printed A4 sheets.
Many passengers welcomed the change. "It's not the usual chaos. There are no touts, and that reassures me. The station is well-maintained, there's no mud. The place is pleasant, really nice," said David Razafinirina, heading to Fandriana.
Some even took photos to commemorate their visit. "I really like the decoration, and it's very calm here, that's why I took a photo at this spot," said Lando Zafimanahaka, traveling to Morondava.
Street vendors from the old Fasan'ny Karàna station were also present. "We're checking out the place to see how we can work here. It's our livelihood, we work in symbiosis with the transporters," said François Randrianjatovo, their spokesperson.
Touts were also surveying the area but remained outside, not daring to enter the hall. Station agents joked with them about not entering themselves.
Street vendors and touts are banned from inside the station according to the Ministry of Transport and Meteorology. This decision satisfies some transporters. "Their presence was costing transporters money," said Fredinard Rakotondrafara, president of the Besady cooperative.
Vehicles gradually filled the parking area. Some were about to depart while others waited for more passengers. "The pace isn't the same as at Fasan'ny Karàna, where there were more passengers. I only have four passengers so far, and if all seats aren't full by this afternoon, I'll cancel my departure," said Charles, a transporter heading to Toliara.
Another transporter suggested some passengers may not yet know about the location change, which could explain lower attendance than usual at Fasan'ny Karàna. "We called our clients one by one to tell them it's happening here now," he said.
Some travelers noted that getting to this station remains complicated. "We had to take three buses from 67 Ha to get here," said David Razafinirina.
According to Aina, vice-president of a cooperative, travelers will make the effort to come regardless of bus availability. The Ministry of Transport and Meteorology says it has mobilized Foton buses to transport passengers from several routes to the station. Transfer vehicles between stations are also available.
Dozens of regional and national departures were recorded yesterday morning, according to the Collective of Cooperative Presidents. Most national departures occurred in the afternoon.