A share taxi , shared taxi , taxibus , or jitney or dollar van in the US, or marshrutka in former Soviet countries, is a mode of transport which falls between a taxicab and a bus . Share taxis are a form of paratransit . They are vehicles for hire and are typically smaller than buses. Share taxis usually take passengers on a fixed or semi-fixed route without timetables, sometimes only departing when all seats are filled. They may stop anywhere to pick up or drop off their passengers. They are most common in developing countries and inner cities.
60-422: The vehicles used as share taxis range from four-seat cars to minibuses, midibuses , covered pickup trucks , station wagons , and trucks . Certain vehicle types may be better-suited than others. They are often owner-operated. An increase in bus fares usually leads to a significant rise in usage of share taxis. Liberalization is often encouraged by libertarian urban economists, such as Richard Allen Epstein of
120-412: A central location, instead. Even more-formal terminals may just parking lots. The term "rank" denotes an area, specifically built for taxi operators by a municipality or city, where commuters may start and end their journey. Where they exist, shared taxis provide service on set routes within and sometimes between towns. After a shared taxi has picked up passengers at its terminus, it proceeds along
180-413: A consistent paint scheme for them, in practice the color of them varies wildly, as the "consistent" schemes have changed from time to time and many drivers have not bothered to repaint their cars. Rates vary depending on distance traveled, although these rates are generally well known to those riding the micro-bus. The fares also depend on the city. Riders can typically hail micro-buses from any point along
240-644: A hotel. In Ouagadougou , capital of Burkina Faso , the share taxi or taxi brousse role is not filled by the traditional African minibus. Those in Kinshasa , DRC , (or perhaps just the Kongo people ) may call share taxis fula fula meaning "quick quick". There was no independent transport authority in the city of Kinshasa as of 2008. Share taxis do exist in Cameroon , but as of 2008 minibuses cannot be used for this purpose, by law. That same year, Douala , Cameroon, also
300-558: A memorandum of understanding on diplomatic cooperation, which promotes the co-location of embassies, the joint provision of consular services, and common crisis response. The project has been criticized by leading Canadian foreign affairs scholars for undermining Ottawa's foreign policy independence. Global Affairs Canada funds humanitarian projects, contributes to the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund, makes smaller emergency contributions through
360-485: A number does exist. Also as of 2008, the city lacks an independent transport authority, but some regulation , such as that controlling market entry, does exist. Route syndicates may be present but are described as "various". In Ghana and neighboring countries, share taxis are called tro tro . They are privately owned minibus that travel fixed routes and leave when filled to capacity. While there are tro tro stations, these shared taxis can also be boarded anywhere along
420-699: A preceding External Aid Office was created as a branch of the External Affairs Department in 1960, building on roots that go back to the Colombo Plan in the early 1950s. Through an administrative separation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, two separate departments named Foreign Affairs Canada ( FAC ) and International Trade Canada ( ITCan ) were created in December 2003. However, legislation to formally abolish DFAIT and provide
480-482: A semi-fixed route where the driver may determine the actual route within an area according to traffic conditions. Drivers will stop anywhere to allow riders to disembark, and may sometimes do the same when prospective passengers want to ride. Most share taxis are operated under one of two regimes. Some share taxis are operated by a company. For example, in Dakar there are company-owned fleets of hundreds of car rapides . In
540-477: A shift that had occurred many years before. At the time that the external affairs portfolio was created in 1909, Canada was a self-governing dominion in the British Empire and did not have an independent foreign policy. The term external affairs avoided the question of whether a colony or dominion—self-governing and hence sovereign in some respects—could, by definition, have foreign affairs. Implicitly, since
600-778: A single department known as Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada . In 2013, included within the Conservative government's omnibus budget bill , An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 21, 2013 and other measures (Bill C-60), was a section that would fold CIDA into the department, creating the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development ( DFATD ). The bill received royal assent on 26 June 2013. On 4 November 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 's new Liberal government again modified
660-493: A statutory basis for the separate departments failed to pass a first vote in the House of Commons on 15 February 2005. The government, nonetheless, maintained the administrative separation of the two departments despite neither having been established through an Act of Parliament. In early 2006, under the new government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper , Foreign Affairs Canada and International Trade Canada were re-joined to again form
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#1733085199962720-991: A transport-dedicated regulator , Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Agency (LAMATA). Outside of Lagos, most major cities in Africa have similar systems of transport. Syndicates in Lagos include the National Union of Road and Transport Workers (NURTW). Minibus public transports in Rwanda may be called coaster buses, share taxis, or twegerane . The latter could easily be a word meaning "stuffed" or "full". As of 2020, in Kigali , Rwanda, syndicates include RFTC, Kigali Bus Services, and Royal Express. Over 60% of South African commuters use shared minibus taxis, which are 16 seater commuter buses, sometimes referred to as kombis . Many of these vehicles are unsafe and not roadworthy, and often dangerously overloaded. Since
780-467: Is in reference to the fact that conductors often hit the roof and side of the van to attract customers and to notify the driver when to leave the station. Midibus A midibus is a classification of single-decker minibuses which are generally larger than a traditional minibus but smaller than a full-size single decker and can be anywhere between 8 metres (26 ft 3 in) and 11 metres (36 ft 1 in) long. While used in many parts of
840-463: Is not part of a government scheme, but is simply a market response to a growing demand for such services. Route syndicates and operator's associations often exercise unrestricted control, and existing rules may see little enforcement. In many traffic-choked, sprawling, and low-density African cities, minibuses are used. In Algeria , taxis collectifs ply fixed routes with their destination displayed. Rides are shared with others who are picked up along
900-469: Is responsible for international development , poverty reduction , and humanitarian assistance . This ministerial portfolio includes: The minister of international trade, export promotion, small business and economic development (currently Mary Ng ) is responsible for matters of international trade . This ministerial portfolio includes: Deputy ministers are senior public servants who take political direction from ministers and are responsible for
960-975: Is the department of the Government of Canada that manages Canada's diplomatic and consular relations, promotes Canadian international trade, and leads Canada's international development and humanitarian assistance. It is also responsible for maintaining Canadian government offices abroad with diplomatic and consular status on behalf of all government departments. According to the OECD , Canada’s total official development assistance (ODA) (USD 7.8 billion, preliminary data) increased in 2022 due to exceptional support to Ukraine and its pandemic response in developing countries, increased costs for in-donor refugees as well as higher contributions to international organizations, representing 0.37% of gross national income (GNI). The department has undergone numerous name changes and re-organizations since its founding in 1909. Originally established as
1020-679: The Canadian Red Cross and Canadian Foodgrains Bank and funds Canadian humanitarian organisations via the Humanitarian Coalition . Support is guided by Canada's Feminist International Assistance Policy. Within Global Affairs Canada, there are several bodies that facilitate Canada's international trade system, including the Trade Controls Bureau , Export Development Canada , Canadian Commercial Corporation , and
1080-744: The Foreign Office ) and domestic or colonial affairs (the Colonial Office or Dominion Office , which were later reorganized and combined into one department: the Foreign and Commonwealth Office ). Canadian interests outside the empire (e.g. between Canada and its non-empire neighbours, the United States , Russia , St. Pierre and Miquelon , and Greenland ) were under the purview of the UK Foreign Office. Informally, however, Canada had had relations with
1140-565: The Orion VII transit bus to serve routes that include some of the steeper and curvier hills. In charter / tour roles, there is indeed a gap between the minibus (12–28 seats) and the touring coach (47–50 seats). Several shuttle bus companies such as Goshen Coach and Crystal have manufactured rear-engined vehicles with 30–35 seats, but no generic term has ever been applied to them. They are usually lumped together with smaller "minibuses", and called "minibus" or "shuttle bus". The only other alternative
1200-593: The Scania OmniTown , are heavier and therefore more durable. In some places such as Hong Kong, some bus routes have to be served by midibuses due to the winding roads along such routes. The term "midibus" is not in common use in the United States ; such smaller and lighter-duty buses are not used for public transit there except in some very specialized instances. For example, Muni in San Francisco operates both 30-foot (9.1 m) and 40-foot (12 m) versions of
1260-610: The Soviet Union , share taxis, known as marshrutka , were operated by state-owned taxi parks. There are also individual operators in many countries. In Africa, while there are company share taxis, individual owners are more common. Rarely owning more than two vehicles at a time, they will rent out a minibus to operators, who pay fuel and other running costs, and keep revenue. In some places, like some African cities and also Hong Kong, share taxi minibuses are overseen by syndicates, unions, or route associations. These groups often function in
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#17330851999621320-697: The Statute of Westminster in 1931. For historical reasons, the name External Affairs was retained. The Department of Trade and Commerce, which included the Trade Commissioner Service , had been created in 1892. In 1969, it was combined with the Department of Industry to form the Department of Industry Trade and Commerce (ITC). Both External Affairs and ITC maintained networks of offices abroad, with varying degrees of coordination among them. The Department of Citizenship and Immigration also had offices abroad, in some cases dating back to Confederation . In
1380-679: The Trade Commissioner Service . Other organizations that facilitate international trade and foreign investment in Canada include the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Invest in Canada (formerly Foreign Investment Review Agency ), and the Canadian International Trade Tribunal , which is an independent quasi-judicial body . The CBSA and Statistics Canada collect information on all items exported from Canada, and classify these items using categories negotiated by
1440-616: The United States (where Canada had its own representatives since at least 1927); and finally, the Statute of Westminster and the Second World War . In terms of Canada's commercial relations, the first trade commissioner, John Short Larke , was named following a successful trade delegation to Australia led by Canada's first minister of trade and commerce, Mackenzie Bowell . The Statute of Westminster clarified that Canada (and certain other dominions, such as Australia and New Zealand ) were primarily responsible for, among other things,
1500-744: The University of Chicago , James Dunn of Rutgers , and Peter Gordon of the University of Southern California , as a more "market-friendly" alternative to public transportation. However, concerns over fares, insurance liabilities, and passenger safety have kept legislative support for decidedly tepid. Some share taxi services are forms of demand responsive transport and include shared shuttle bus service to airports. Some can be booked online using mobile apps . A given share taxi route may start and finish in fixed central locations, and landmarks may serve as route names or route termini. In other places there may be no formal termini, with taxis simply congregating at
1560-546: The cabinet and privy council (and thus entitled to use the prefix " the Honourable "). The current leadership of GAC is provided by three ministers, each with their own responsibilities. The minister of foreign affairs (currently Mélanie Joly ) is the senior minister in the department, with responsibility for foreign policy matters as well as the department overall. This ministerial portfolio includes: The minister of international development (currently Ahmed Hussen )
1620-535: The head of government [the prime minister], as the head of state was historically shared, and would not accredit a representative to one's self.) Nonetheless, by the time the change in terminology was effected in 1993, Canada's foreign affairs had been conducted separately from the United Kingdom in most significant respects for the entire post-war period, or over 60 years since the Statute of Westminster. This process
1680-600: The "Department of External Affairs", GAC has been known by a variety of names throughout its lifetime. Its current legal name is the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development , but its "applied" name used within government is Global Affairs Canada often shorted in the Canadian media to simply "Global Affairs". GAC was first founded as the Department of External Affairs on 1 June 1909. During and after World War I , Canada assumed greater control over its foreign relations, with its full autonomy in this field confirmed by
1740-561: The 1940s, when Ghana still used the British West African pound and later the Ghanaian pound . Alternatively, its origin is not "three times three pence" but rather "threepence [thruhpnce, tro] each": doubling a coin's name in the vernacular means "that coin for each person (or item)". Three pence was the price per passenger in the early 1960s, when pounds/shillings/pence were still in use, including threepence coins, before decimalization of
1800-402: The 1970s and early 1980s, there were growing efforts to ensure coordination among all Canadian government offices outside Canada and to strengthen the leadership role and authority of heads of post ( ambassadors , high commissioners , and consuls general ) over all Canadian government staff in their areas of accreditation. This led to a 1979 decision by Prime Minister Joe Clark to consolidate
1860-515: The 1980s, share taxis have been severely affected by turf wars. Prior to 1987, the taxi industry in South Africa was highly regulated and controlled. Black taxi operators were declined permits in the Apartheid era and all minibus taxi operations were, by their very nature, illegal. Post-1987, the industry was rapidly deregulated, leading to an influx of new minibus taxi operators, keen to make money off
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1920-690: The United States in particular, with trade and other relationships pre-dating Confederation. Canada's management of its own foreign relations evolved over time, with key milestones including: the First World War (at the conclusion of which Canada was a signatory of the Treaty of Versailles and a member of the League of Nations ); the Balfour Declaration ; increased direct conduct of bilateral matters with
1980-399: The absence of a regulatory environment and may collect dues or fees from drivers (such as per-use terminal payments, sometimes illegally), set routes, manage terminals, and fix fares. Terminal management may include ensuring each vehicle leaves with a full load of passengers. Because the syndicates represent owners, their regulatory efforts tend to favor operators rather than passengers, and
2040-553: The conduct of their own foreign affairs. After World War II, Canada was a founding member of the United Nations and participant in its own right in post-war settlement talks and other international fora, and in most respects the conduct of foreign affairs was no longer colonial. Over the years after the Second World War, a number of other historical traditions were slowly abolished or brought into accordance with reality, such as
2100-474: The currency into cedi and pesewa in 1965. In Ghana, tro tro are licensed by the government, but the industry is self-regulated. There was no independent transport authority as of 2008 in the capital, Accra. In the absence of a regulatory environment, groups called syndicates oversee share taxis. These may collect dues, set routes, manage terminals, and fix fares. In Accra as of 2008, such syndicates include Ghana Private Road Transport Union and PROTOA. Despite
2160-427: The day-to-day operations of the department. The current departmental structure, and corresponding executives, are as follows: Branches of Global Affairs each have their own Assistant Deputy Minister, who report to all three deputy ministers: Included in the portfolios of the three Global Affairs ministers are: The change of terminology from external affairs to foreign affairs recognized, albeit belatedly,
2220-667: The department was responsible for affairs with both Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth countries, all external relations were of a type, even when the head of state was shared with other nations. Under section 132 of the British North America Act, 1867 , the federal government had authority to conduct and implement relations with other parts of the British Empire, which were not considered foreign lands. The United Kingdom and other colonial powers still routinely divided their conduct of overseas policy into foreign affairs (e.g.
2280-563: The government has instituted a recapitalization scheme to replace the old and un-roadworthy vehicles with new 18- and 35-seater minibusses. These new minibus taxis carry the South African flag on the side and are notably more spacious and safe. Minivans and minibuses are used as vehicles for hire and referred to as dala dala in Tanzania . While dala dala may run fixed routes picking up passengers at central locations, they will also stop along
2340-501: The government, but the industry is self- regulated . In Accra , syndicates include GPRTU and PROTOA. Aayalolo , a bus rapid transit system opened in November 2016; however, most people continued to use trotros as of 2019. The term "tro tro" is believed to derive from the Ga word tro , "threepence", because the conductors usually asked for "three three pence", which was the standard bus fare in
2400-543: The high demand for this service. Taxi operators banded together to form local and national associations. Because the industry was largely unregulated and the official regulating bodies corrupt, these associations soon engaged in anti-competitive price fixing and exhibited gangster tactics – including the hiring of hit-men and all-out gang warfare. During the height of the conflict, it was common for taxi drivers to carry shotguns and AK-47s to simply shoot rival taxi drivers and their passengers on sight. Along with new legislation,
2460-416: The majority of passengers board. In these places, the share taxis wait for a full load of passengers prior to departing, and off-peak wait times may be in excess of an hour. In Africa, regulation is mainly something that pertains to the vehicle itself not its operator or its mode of operation. African minibuses are difficult to tax , and may operate in a "regulatory vacuum" perhaps because their existence
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2520-481: The most important modes of transport in big cities like Addis Ababa . They are preferred by the majority of the populace over public buses and more traditional taxicabs because they are generally cheap, operate on diverse routes, and are available in abundance. All minibus taxis in Ethiopia have a standard blue-and-white coloring scheme, much as New York taxis are yellow. Minibus taxis are usually Toyota HiAces , frequent
2580-541: The name of the department. While its legal name remains the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, its public designation (applied title) under the Federal Identity Program is Global Affairs Canada ( GAC ). Despite the change to the applied title of the department, the senior minister responsible is still called the Minister of Foreign Affairs , rather than "Minister of Global Affairs", in line with
2640-553: The practice of Canadian ambassadors presenting diplomatic credentials signed by the monarch of Canada (including, on occasion, credentials written in French as an official language of Canada); Canadian ambassadors now present credentials signed by the governor general of Canada as representative of the Canadian monarch. Other traditions remain, such as the exchange of high commissioners , instead of ambassadors, between Commonwealth countries. (High commissioners present credentials from
2700-662: The regulatory challenges, the service was regulated during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana . There was 98% compliance to guidelines on physical distancing, although guidelines on individual use of face masks were more difficult to enforce. In the Ivory Coast , gbaka is a name for minibus public transports. The transport regulator in Abidjan , Ivory Coast , is Agence de Gestion des Transports Urbains or AGETU. As of 2008, Abidjan public transport
2760-482: The route to drop someone off or allow a prospective passenger to board. Before minibuses became widely used, the typical dala dala was a pick-up truck with benches placed in the truck bed . In Dar es Salaam , as of 2008, publicly operated minibus service also exists. They are usually run by both a driver and a bus conductor called a mpigadebe , literally meaning "a person who hits a debe" (a 4-gallon tin container used for transporting gasoline or water). The name
2820-786: The route, often with well-established hand signals indicating the prospective rider's destination, although certain areas tend to be well-known micro-bus stops. Like the Eastern European marshrutka , a typical micro-bus is a large van , most often a Toyota HiAce or its Jinbei equivalent, the Haise , and the latter is produced by the Bavarian Auto Manufacturing Group in 6th of October City in Egypt. Smaller vans and larger small buses are also used. Minibus taxis in Ethiopia are one of
2880-562: The route. Operated by a driver and a bus conductor , who collects money, shouts out the destination, and is called a "mate", many are decorated with slogans and sayings , often religious, and few operate on Sundays. A 2010 report by The World Bank found that Tro tro are used by 70% of Ghanaian commuters. This popularity may be because in cities such as Accra had only basic public transportation save for these small minibuses. An informal means of transportation, in Ghana they are licensed by
2940-473: The streets. They typically can carry 11 passengers, but will always have room for another until that is no longer the case. The minibus driver has a crew member called a weyala whose job is to collect the fare from passengers. In 2008, publicly operated public transport was available in Addis Ababa in addition to that provided by the minibuses. A fleet of 350 large buses may operate for this purpose, as such
3000-592: The terminology used in other jurisdictions and in international law. GAC is headquartered in the Lester B. Pearson Building at 125 Sussex Drive on the banks of the Rideau River in Ottawa , but operates out of several properties in Canada's National Capital Region . Ministers and parliamentary secretaries to ministers are elected members of the House of Commons and accountable to Parliament . Ministers are also members of
3060-542: The various streams of the Canadian Foreign Service , including the "political" (traditional diplomatic) stream, the Trade Commissioner Service , and the Immigration Foreign Service. This was followed in 1982 by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's decision to combine External Affairs and International Trade into a single department. It initially retained the name of Department of External Affairs, but
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#17330851999623120-469: The very termini syndicates upkeep can cost delays and money for passengers as well as forcing them to disembark at inconvenient locations, in a phenomenon called "terminal constraint". Some Francophone African countries use the term taxi-brousse ('bush taxi', often spelled with a space rather than a hyphen in English) for share taxis. In some African cities, routes are run between formal termini, where
3180-668: The way, and the taxi will leave only when it seats all the passengers it can. While stations, set locations to board and disembark, exist, prospective passengers flag down a taxi collectif when they want a ride. Operating inter- and intra-city, taxis collectifs that travel between towns may be called interwilaya taxis . Along with all forms of public transport in Algeria, the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada recommend against using these share taxis. The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs asks that you use taxis recommended by
3240-406: The world, the midibus is perhaps most common in the United Kingdom , where operators have found them more economical , and to have a sufficient number of seats compared to full size single-decker buses. Midibuses are often designed to be lightweight to save on diesel fuel (e.g. smaller wheels than on larger buses), making them not as durable as heavier 'full size' buses. Some midibuses, such as
3300-689: Was only formalized by an Act of Parliament in 1995. DFAIT maintained two separate ministers: the Minister of Foreign Affairs , with lead responsibility for the portfolio, and the Minister of International Trade . The Minister for International Cooperation , who was responsible for agencies such as the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), also fell under DFAIT. Moreover, the responsibilities of DFAIT would include Canadian relations with Commonwealth nations —though such nations are not considered 'foreign' to one another. CIDA had been formally established in 1968, although
3360-524: Was paralleled in other areas over this period, including the establishment of Canada's own supreme court as the court of last resort , the patriation of the constitution , and Canadian citizenship (Canadians had been British subjects , and no citizenship per se existed until 1947). In September 2012, the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office signed
3420-880: Was serviced by large buses as well as minibuses. Syndicates include UPETCA and SNTMVCI. In Kenya , regulation does extend to operators and mode of operation (such as routes used) as well as the vehicle. In Mali , share taxis are called sotrama and dourouni . As of 2008, Bamako , Mali, has no independent transport authority, but share taxi activity could fall under regulator Direction de la régulation et du contrôle du transport urbain (municipal) or DRCTU control. In Morocco , intercity share taxis are called grand taxis . They are generally old full-size Mercedes-Benz sedans , and seat six or more passengers. In Nigeria , both minibusses (called danfo ) and midibuses ( molue ) may be operated as share taxis. Such forms of public transport may also be referred to as bolekaja , and many bear slogans or sayings . Lagos , Nigeria, has
3480-591: Was subsequently renamed External Affairs and International Trade . The change was reflected in a new Department of External Affairs Act passed in 1983. The 1982 merger was part of larger reorganization of government that also combined the Industry component of ITC with the Department of Regional Economic Expansion. The department's name was changed to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade ( DFAIT ) in 1993, about 60 years after Canada had gained control over its foreign policy in 1931—though this change
3540-572: Was to import a "short" (two-axle) version of European touring coaches, known often as "baby coaches", around 35 feet (10.7 m) long and equipped with some 30–32 seats. These include the TEMSA TS 30/TS 35 and the MCI J3500. In the 2000s, some manufacturers introduced mid-sized bus models based on large truck frames. Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada Global Affairs Canada ( GAC ; French : Affaires mondiales Canada ; AMC )
3600-466: Was without an independent transport authority. Egyptian share cabs are generally known as micro-bus ( mekrobass ميكروباص or mašrūʿ مشروع , "project"; plural mekrobassāt ميكروباصات or mašarīʿ مشاريع ). The second name is used by Alexandrians . Micro-buses are licensed by each of the governorates of Egypt as taxicabs, and are generally operated privately by their drivers. Although each governorate attempts to maintain
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