In all the cities of Benin in general and that of Cotonou in particular, bike guards are visible everywhere. This activity, which seems important for the citizens of these cities, is also a painful constraint when it comes to paying the security costs for each trip..
Firmin KASSAGA
Public and private administrations, universities, restaurants, places of worship, markets, hospital, etc. are some places where a visit requires the care of his motorcycle. These bike guards seem to be very useful for the safety of two-wheeled vehicles but one of the big difficulties remains the variability of prices. “I think bike guards are a good thing. They allow us to keep our motorcycles safe when we are in the city center. The only problem remains the variation in the price to pay depending on the location ”, complains Grégoire Coffi, a user met in the city of Cotonou.
Just like Gregory, give me Dorcas, caught taking his motorcycle out of the daycare, thinks that "it is a good thing from a security point of view but it is the fact that you have to pay every time when you go to a place that is problematic. This morning, I went to a supermarket, I paid 200 FCFA. The same when I went to pay my electricity bills and again I just paid when I left this pharmacy. It's expensive in the end, although necessary ".
If so for a day, you have to take by four different places, it is necessary to plan on average 800 FCFA to keep your means of travel, a reasonable expense but too much for users.
What do those who are responsible for, custody of these motorcycles ?
Jean-Eude is a motorcycle keeper. For him, “Everything has a price. When we leave our house one morning, it is in order to come home in the evening with what we left. If it is necessary because of 200 FCFA, put a purchased motorbike over 300.000 FCFA under the eyes of indelicate people, is that we lack awareness. We must secure our property, it is important ". He adds that “with regard to the considerable presence of bicycle guards in the city of Cotonou and in the other cities, it is simply because each structure has its own bicycle guard. I don't know if there are structures that don't have one. When a customer or visitor complains of the theft of their motorcycle, I think that does not give a good image of the structure ".
On the question of prices that vary from one bike guard to another, Jean-Eude answers : "In the city center here, everyone knows it's at 200 FCFA. On the other hand, in surrounding areas like Calavi for example it is 100 FCFA. These are the prices that I know and I don't think there are bike guards that charge more than 200 FCFA to customers ".
Faced with this observation, solutions must be sought for the satisfaction of all. "To reduce expenses related to guarding motorcycles, it is therefore necessary to create a single structure that can manage this activity by district, by municipality or same district ", this is the proposal that makes, Ola, in her thirties, who emphasizes that "The bicycle guards, we need it but to avoid too much expense, I think it will be better to entrust this to a structure and there when you have a ticket, you can use it all day ". An idea shared by Roselin K. who also finds that it would be good to organize the sector and to facilitate the task from a financial point of view for the users that they are.