Matatus and Tro tros
on A Serendipitous Journey (Kenya), 05/Sep/2009 10:23, 34 days ago
As volunteers in Kenya we ride matatus, which could be described as mini-vans which may have failed safety standards in other countries and were shipped here to be refurbished. (Perhaps an over exaggeration, but probably not that far from the truth either.) Most foreigners are either forbidden from or strongly advised not to ride in these, due to the unreliable state of the vehicles and their often reckless driving habits. However, matatus are a necessity for most Kenyans and therefore, by choice or otherwise, they are the most popular form of public transport.I rode these same types of vehicles in Ghana, West Africa, where they were known as tro tros.- Both systems got their names during the colonialist eras.“Tro tro” came form the Ga language word “Tro” which means three pence, which was the fare charged at the time for a fare. Similarly, the name “matatu” is derived from the thirty cents fare passengers were required to pay.- The systems in both places work more or less the same: you choose a route, squeeze into a vehicle, wait patiently for it to fill up with passengers and it drops off and picks passengers almost anywhere along the way as loud music blares from the speakers. The routes themselves seem impossible to understand until you get the hang of them as, as there are no maps, routes or other indicators of where each route will take you. But if you ask around, you’ll find your way.- However, one major difference between tro tros in Accra and matatus in Nairobi is their names: In Ghana tro tros tended to have religious names, including:“God is good”, “The Lord is my saviour”, etc. While I have seen a few religious based names in Nairobi, most are based on pop culture, sex or violence. Some of the most memorable names I’ve seen include: “FBI : Fabulous Booties Inside…. Where ‘da chocolate melts!” and “Choppedand screwed”. (Sorry to anyone who gets easily offended, but it’s true)