10FEB2007 "Matatu - share taxis explained"

The next day, Saturday, we had to go back to Watamu and finish all of the course work and pool work for our certification. We decided to take a matatu instead of driving. They roll through Kilifi town with the conductor hanging out the window (or open side door) yelling their destination “MMMMBASAMMBASAMMMBASA” or “MALINDIMALINDIMALINDI”. It is a completely decentralized, privatized public transportation system. Each matatu (a small, low van, with 12 seats crammed in behind the driver) is owned by a private individual. It has a driver and a conductor who shoehorns people in, shouts from the window and collects the money. He also bangs on the roof when a stop is coming up or he sees someone on the road to pick up and then raps again when it is time to go. ‘Time to go’ means that the passenger is halfway in and the conductor is running alongside, jumps in at the right moment and slides the door shut.

The privatized system works pretty well except that it is also completely deregulated. The new administration has tried to crack down on the overcrowding and speeding, by passing laws that every passenger should have a seatbelt and mandating speed governors on each vehicle. But it hasn’t appeared to have a significant effect. In general, there are between 15 and 20 people in each vehicle (15 being quite comfortable and 20 feeling very clausterphobic). The matatus speed along the roads with little regard for potholes, the side of the road, bicyclists, oncoming traffic, or really anything. They are emblazoned with sayings like “Need for Speed” and “SURVIVOR” and “God is Able” (read: God is able to preserve me from an untimely demise despite my reckless driving). I tried not to watch how close the oncoming traffic was passing. Even so, it was less stressful than driving ourselves. It’s kind of like flying in an airplane—everything is pretty much completely out of your control. Moms got on with their infants strapped to them and shoved in as best they could. I wondered what Stacy would think of those babies without a proper car seat (heck – the mom was often lucky to get a seat)! At a particularly busy stop when the conductor was getting a bit overzealous in accommodating passengers, the guy next to me commiserated saying “you must have the same problem in the US.” No, I thought, not exactly the same… But after one or two rides, it just becomes ordinary.

I promise they are safe mom...