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Paper short abstract:

The taxi industry has become a means of social inclusion for those who might otherwise be excluded. People enter this area as a temporary business with the intention of finding better possibilities and more meaningful occupations in the future, but they end up becoming entrepreneurs in the sector.

Paper long abstract:

People, who have never had the chance to complete a formal education, are immigrating to a new city, are finishing school and unsure of employment, have early childhood obligations, or have lost their job face an uncertain future. While waiting for better times, some people in this category have sought temporary relief in the taxi sector, either as drivers or as car owners, especially among those who can depend on family or friends for help.

The purpose of this paper is to examine employment practises in the transportation business. Most actors start in the sector as a temporary business with the hope of finding greater opportunities and fulfilling jobs someday and finally climb the professional ladder and become taxi owners, while other actors find it frustrating. As a result, I examine these drivers' career paths, how they operate on a daily basis, the strategies employed to mitigate risk and evade governmental control, and how they finally become entrepreneurs in the sector. The results suggest that the taxi business has become a means of social inclusion for those who would otherwise been excluded. This research is based on my PhD ethnographic research conducted between 2020 and 2022 in Yaoundé, Cameroon.