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ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (April 2025) — What was touted as a futuristic fix for one of Africa's worst traffic jams turned into a $170 million cautionary tale. The cable car system built to lift commuters above Antananarivo's gridlock ran for only a few weeks before being mothballed, leaving idle cables dangling over the capital of one of the world's poorest nations.
The project, launched by former President Andry Rajoelina in 2024, was meant to replace the city's aging minibus taxis that clog roads for hours. Rajoelina called it a landmark moment, comparing it to the Eiffel Tower. But the reality was stark: the system cost nearly the same as the country's entire annual health budget, and most residents simply couldn't afford to ride.
Priced out from the start
The cable car fare was set at 70 to 90 U.S. cents per trip — six to eight times the price of a minibus ride. With an average monthly salary of about $72 for commuters, according to a 2022 World Bank report, the math didn't work. Around 75% of Madagascar's 30 million people live in poverty.
“People will choose money over time every time,” said Pieter Onderwater, a public transport planning consultant at the University of Cape Town. “When the fare is six times higher than a conventional taxi, we just sit in traffic because we know better things to do with that money.”
The system was built over three years with loans from France, totaling about $173 million. It was designed to carry up to 75,000 passengers daily and cut commute times from three hours to 10–30 minutes. But ridership never came close.
Basic needs, not fancy transit
Many Antananarivo residents questioned why the government prioritized cable cars when the city lacks running water, reliable electricity, and paved roads. Frequent power outages paralyzed the system, heightening fears of being stranded high above ground.
“In a city where they cannot even fix the roads, how can we trust being more than 20 meters above the ground when there is a power cut?” said Erica, a shop owner who gave only her first name. “And if something goes wrong, how long would it take them to fix it?”
During the 2024 military coup that ousted Rajoelina, several cable car stations were burned or damaged. Protesters saw the project as a symbol of a government out of touch with daily struggles.
A system in limbo
The transitional government led by coup leader Michael Randrianirina took over in October 2024 but has not announced any plan for the cable cars. Emails and calls to the transport ministry went unanswered. A consortium of French companies that built the system inspected it in March 2025 and submitted findings to Madagascar's authorities, but no decision has been made.
Africa's urban transport crisis
Antananarivo's population has exploded from 300,000 in the 1960s to over 3 million today, driven by rural-to-urban migration across Africa. The continent's urban population of 700 million is expected to double by 2050, according to the OECD, creating massive demand for public transport, housing, water, and electricity.
Yet Africa still has some of the world's least developed public transit systems, despite the fastest urbanization rates, notes Transport Africa, a research group. Most cities rely on private minibus fleets — called kombis in South Africa, matatus in Kenya, danfo in Nigeria — which carry the vast majority of commuters.
Onderwater argues that the Madagascar case shows the danger of “big, shiny solutions” that ignore economic realities. “The fundamental question is: can the target user afford it? If not, no amount of engineering will make it work,” he said.
What's next for Antananarivo?
Some commuters told the AP they were intrigued by the idea of flying above traffic, but practical concerns — cost, reliability, safety during cyclones, and limited routes (the cable cars don't reach the city center) — killed any interest. Office worker Hery Ratsimbazafy summed it up: “It doesn't help me get where I need to go.”
For now, the cable cars remain still. The $170 million investment is a stark reminder that for infrastructure to succeed in developing cities, it must match not just the skyline, but the pocketbook.
This story was updated in April 2025 to reflect the latest status of the cable car system. The Associated Press receives support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
