Ghardaia, Algeria.

Youyi manufactured bus passing the entrance to Ghardaia market. The window sign is saying 'Mashallah (ما شاء الله) means “what Allah has willed”. 

When you think of an oasis what comes to mind: Bing Crosby, Bob Hope on the Road to Morocco; French Foreign Legion in their white kepi with neck guard headgear; Maria Muldaur singing Midnight at the Oasis or a 1980’s Britpop band? Ghardaia is an oasis and none of the above would immediately come to mind. 376 miles from the capital Algiers and with a population of 93,423, it has palm trees and a water course and is set in the M’Zab valley surrounded by steep cliffs and miles of empty Sahara Desert. It is a modern-day commercial town which meets the needs of the five fortified settlements surrounding the valley and is home to Ibadi Muslim sect.

Surprisingly, for such a small town there is an extensive bus network stretching out into the desert communities under the auspice of ETUSG (Établissement de Transport Urbain et Suburbain de Ghardaïa). The main bus station is located in the Tagherdaït district, at the junction of Rue Emir Abdelkader and Avenue de L’A.L.N, and consists of two off-road parking areas with room for two lanes of buses in each. The five surrounding settlements are impregnable to public transport, and, in most cases, to any sort of vehicles other than motorbikes so buses terminate just outside at the main gates to the walls. Beni Isguen is the largest of these settlements. There are two distinct bus types, small TATA and Isuzu Ecobus of various ages operating in the town and large Higer or Sonacome-SNVI operating out of the valley.

The bus station at the junction of Rue Emir Abdelkader and Avenue de L’A.L.N. Only local buses now depart here. Long distance buses leave from a newer bus station on the edge of town.

The bus station just outside the main gate into Beni Isguen. Beni Isguen is a fortified settlement with defensive walls enclosing the entire community of 6800 residents, founded in 1347. The town, built on a steep hillside, features narrow streets winding between stone buildings with a central marketplace close to the main gate. Visitors are not permitted to enter the settlement without being accompanied by a guide from the community and are not permitted to remain after dark. 

Isuzu Ecobus arriving at the Ksar Tafilelt, the new town terminus. Ksar Tafilelt is a district of Bounoura, a commune of Ghardaïa. Land for the new town was purchased in 1997 and work began in 2000. The town planning replicates the older towns around Ghardaia but in a sustainable way, no concrete was used in construction, but streets are wider allowing for some vehicle movements. The town is occupied by Mozabites of the Ibadi Muslim sect.  

Higer KLQ6108GA on route 50, climbing out of Ghardaia on highway N1 towards New Metlili, a large recently developed town, and the airport. Other small communities are along the side of the highway giving the district a population of around 40,500. 

SNVI City at the Bounoura roundabout on the south-east side of the town at the junction of Avenue de L’A.L.N and the N1. The roundabout is a tourist attraction in itself, featuring a large mock sand castle at its centre. 

TATA manufactured bus in the city centre.

Higer KLQ6108G returning towards the city centre.

Higer KLQ6108G departing the city centre.

An SNVI 100L6 with all-over wrap for the war heroes in the city centre.  

Isuzu Ecobus Classic at rest by the oasis. 

Bus and Coach World

Algeria photo album

Algiers

 

Photographed on the Bouvard Zighout Youcef, Tirsam TS9 operated by ETUSA (L'Entreprise de Transport Urbain et Suburbain d'Alger) and officially introduced into service in March 2026. 

Algiers is the capital and chief seaport of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, population approximately 3.5m. Located along the Bay of Algiers and first settled by Phoenicians, it was later ruled by the Romans. The French took the city in 1830 and made it their headquarters for their African colonial empire. In World War II (1939–45), it became the Allied headquarters in northern Africa and, for a time, the provisional capital of France. The city centre is built on steep hillsides with narrow hairpin roads and many flights of pedestrian steps. A promenade, several kilometres long and dissected by the commercial dock area, provides a seaside feel. 19^th and 20^th century architecture give the city a cosmopolitan air, whilst the Casbah (the old walled quarters) harks back to an earlier time.  

The skyline is dominated by the Martyrs Memorial which was opened in 1982 to honour the 20th anniversary of Algeria’s brutal and bloody war for independence. The memorial rises 302 feet tall and is comprised of three soaring “palm leaves,” each punctuated at the base by a statue of a single Algerian soldier. At sea level the Great Mosque of Algeria, Africa's largest mosque, boasts the world's tallest minaret which dominates the landscape.

Mercedes‑Benz O345 with MCV 120 body operated by Tahkout, a specialist in education transport, although some routes have transitioned to public entities like ETUSA or the Transtev group.  Photographed at the Place de la Grande Poste which was built on the site of an Anglican church. The main post office was designed by Jules Voinot and Marius Toudoire, constructed in 1910 and is a fine example of French-designed, early 20th-century Moorish architecture.

Local bus services, tram and cable cars are managed by Urban and Suburban Transport Establishment of Algiers (ETUSA). As with many large cities, there are roadside terminus points although the city centre focal point for many services is the bus station at Gare routière Tafourah just off the promenade. The majority of buses departing are Isuzu Ecobus minibuses and Sonacome/SNVI. Route numbers 100-105 form the core services along the western coast corridor, 121-128 head south and east, and routes 129 and 130 also use the bus station. Some distance to the east is the express coach station, Gare Routiere Grandes Invalides Caroubier, in the commune of Hussein Dey and managed by The Société de Gestion des Gares Routières d'Algérie (SOGRAL). Next door is Caroubier Bus Station, the largest urban hub in Algiers. Route numbers from Caroubier are 140-148 and 150-151.

On 3rd May 2026 ETUSA launched 30 new bus routes from the following termini: Hussein Dey (1 route), Rouïba (1 route), Baraki (1 route), Chéraga (1 route), El Harrach (2 routes), Bir Mourad Raïs (4 routes), Draria (2 routes), Sidi Abdellah (6 routes), Bir Touta (2 routes), Zéralda (3 routes), Sidi ’hamed (1 route), Bab El Oued (1 route), and Cross‑District Lines (5 routes). Plus three routes that extend beyond Algiers. The launch of these new routes coincided with the delivery of the first batch of new Tirsam buses, the first of several thousand expected.

The city also has a single metro line currently being extended to the airport.

Shoukran to Rafik Cheraitia in whose footsteps I faithfully followed whilst showing me the city.

A line of Isuzu Ecobus minibuses and one Tata parked on Rue Hammadi Nacer.

A SNVI 38L6 is short front-engine bus. Photographed at the Memorial park on Avenue November 1st. 

Mercedes-Benz Conecto bus operated by ETUSA standing at the Station de Bus Audin on Rue Didouche Mourad. This bus terminus is the departure point for services 170-174 with destinations towards the west of the city centre. 

Mercedes-Benz Conecto bus operated by ETUSA passing the Botanical Garden Hamma. In 1832, Pierre Genty De Bussy, the Civil Intendant, and General Antoine Avisard, Interim Governor, decided to drain the marshes at the foot of the Arcades hill. The 32 hectares Botanical Garden of Hamma were created.

Mercedes-Benz Conecto bus operated by ETUSA on Rue Asselah Hocine.

Higer passing the Museum of Fine Arts on route 24. This bus is part of a new fleet of 102 buses received by ETUSA in April 2026 to modernize urban transport. The fleet includes 32 large capacity 100 passenger buses. The Museum of Fine Arts is one of the largest art museums in Africa. 

Express coaches in Gare Routiere Grandes Invalides Caroubier.

SONACOME/SNVI 100V8.  These buses are based on the Berliet PR100 and were built in Algeria by SONACOME and later SNVI between around 1979 and 2002. The bus is on the N11 (Rue d’ Angkor) heading back towards the city centre. The overhead cables are from the adjacent railway line.

BUS AND COACH WORLD

Algeria photo album