Want to share information about some progressive bus companies in Madagascar (used and enquired March-April 2014), having fixed departure and arrival times and own terminals. They are more expensive than usual companies - Cotisse just a few euros more, other 2 companies significantly, but using them could save you, for example, from 10-15 bus station touts simultaneously grabbing you and your luggage trying to push you to a commission paying company; then, after you got rid of them and found an almost full minibus - a couple of hours waiting for the last empty seat to fill and to complete the luggage loading on the roof; all that in garbage strewn and unsafe areas of normal bus stations; and then hundreds of stops to load and unload passengers on the way. Unfortunately, the better companies operate on a few routes only.
(An)Tana(narivo)-Tamatave (Toamasina): bus company Cotisse. Located in Tana at Ambodivona bus station, they have a modern clean waiting room with electric sockets, TV, and if not mistaken, even WiFi. About 5 new Mercedes Sprinter minibuses depart daily at 7pm (arrival 3-4 am), and there are also morning departures. Their Facebook page: https://m.facebook.com/cotisse?_rdr
Phones: 0340702733 (Tana),0338930931 (Tamatave). There is at least 1 more company offering big buses and probably also good minibuses on this route.
Tana-Morondava: Loic Tours Services. Departed 2 times a week in each direction, often already full a few days before departure - call in advance.
http://mg.loictours.com/#!/contact
Apart from the numbers on their webpage we found this on one of the forums, the one we called ourselves we haven't saved: 034 20 009 89
Tana-Mahajunga (Majunga): Transports Premiere classe, 0331548888. Didn't use them yet, only called to enquire. It was supposed to be a van for about 7 passengers, departing daily from hotel Grand Melisse in Analakely, side street from the main street Avenue de'l Independance.
http://malagasycar.com
Other contacts in their downloadable brochure (plaquette PDF - telecharger) from the above website.
And boats from Soanierana-Ivongo to Mananara and Maroantsetra : Melissa, 0331873269 This is a phone of a representative on Ile St Marie.