When Eritrea became independent in 1991, the Government inherited an infrastructure in disrepair across the nation, where roads linking different parts of the country were turned into ditches due to the prolonged war. The roads were in so poor a condition that the current two hours and 30 minutes Asmara-Massawa car ride used to take over seven hours. Similarly, the vehicles on the road were very old and in need of replacement.
The past 30 years have been a time of transformation in the transportation system. New strategic roads have been built and old roads have been renovated and expanded. To help alleviate the problems of transporting people and goods, the Government imported over 700 buses while around 1400 buses were imported by the private sector. Around 900 taxis were also imported to provide efficient transportation in the Central region. Similarly, to help address the challenges in the other regions of the country, more than 600 twelve-seater taxis were introduced.
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