The Port of Dakar Authority (PAD) officially launched digital ticketing for the Dakar-Gorée ferry service on Thursday.
This will allow passengers to buy tickets remotely through mobile network operators’ apps without having to visit the maritime terminal ticket offices, according to a statement seen by APA.
The launch ceremony took place at the Port of Dakar’s International Maritime Terminal, chaired by PAD Director-General and Dakar-Gorée Ferry Service administrator Doune Pathé Mbengue, in the presence of Gorée Mayor Me Augustin Senghor.
The initiative is part of the PAD management’s programme to modernise port services. It is intended in particular to reduce queues, make travel arrangements easier and improve the distribution of passengers across departures, especially during peak periods.
Under the new system, Gorée residents and visitors can buy tickets on their mobile phones and access information about ferry schedules. Tickets are then validated at the entrance to the boarding area using automated turnstiles installed at the maritime terminal.
The system is also designed to strengthen access control and operational security, with each passenger’s ticket automatically checked. This is expected to improve the management of passenger flows and revenue collection.
“Our ambition is to make port services more accessible through digital technology. We want to pursue this approach with a long-term vision and gradually extend digitalisation to other services,” Mbengue said.
The PAD director-general also stressed the importance of security in the modernisation process, citing the existence of a video surveillance operations room intended to strengthen monitoring of activities and port facilities.
Gorée Mayor Me Augustin Senghor welcomed the initiative, highlighting its benefits for the island’s residents, visitors and business operators who rely on the ferry service every day.
The launch of digital ticketing coincided with the passage of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) flame, which travelled through the Port of Dakar Authority’s headquarters before continuing to Gorée Island.
The digital upgrade is intended to improve the passenger experience on a ferry route that is a key transport link between Dakar and the historic island of Gorée.
AC/lb/as/APA