Transportation

I have been thinking about this for a week or so.   And now I have been holding it for a couple days too.  There are a whole bunch of modes of transportation here.  I have no reason to think that things are any different in other big African cities.  I can vouch for Dar es Salaam as being similar – no, much worse.

1.     Walking.  This is by far the most common form of transportation here.  People get around near and far by walking.  They carry things.  The women carry things on their heads, bundles of sticks, buckets of water, along with babies on their fronts or backs.  The men, not so much.

2.     Bicycles.  There must be women who have bikes, but I cannot remember seeing a woman on a bike.  Men carry enormous burdens on their bikes, from big bags of charcoal to multiple containers of fluid.  I don’t know if the containers of fluid are oil or pombe (the local brew).  Sometimes they might carry loads of wood, rivaling what the women carry on their heads.  You name it, you will likely see it on a bike.  It is hard to imagine how they can keep their balance!

3.     Motorcycles, in Swahili, “piki-piki.”  The Japanese ones may last 6 or more years, but the Chinese ones cost a third as much, but last only a third as long.  What to do?  It is a tough choice.  Have you ever seen four people on a motorbike?  I have!

4.     Motorcycle trucks.  These are interesting vehicles.  They are a hybrid with a motorcycle front and a truck back.  They can carry an enormous load.  Well, more than you or I might put on them, but then, when you see the way the bikes are loaded, you probably wouldn’t be surprised.  They carry bottled products, like Coke or Pepsi or beer.  I saw one carrying a sofa on end, held in place and balanced by a rider.  The description does not do the sight justice.  I was amazed.

5.     Dala dalas.  Originally named for the charge: “dollar-dollar.”  They really only cost 1500 Tsh from Ilula to Iringa, about 40 km.  That’s about, uh, a dollar (90 cents).  They get crammed with people.  Whoa!  That’s an understatement!  They have about 12 real seats.  I have counted 35 or more people in the dala dala.  And they stop many times on the way from destination to destination.  And there is no such thing as far as I can tell as a dala dala that is too full.  This is not entirely true legally (see Pirates’ Code below).  When they go past the cops, people duck down in collusion with the driver.  I have no idea why that works, but it is probably not in the Polici’s best interest to disrupt commerce either.  In Dar es Salaam, we might see people hanging on the outside of the “bus.”  These are like 12 passenger vans. 

A Rare pic of an Empty Dala Dala

Not your typical soccer mom’s minivan!  What is fascinating about this mode is that it works like our bus system at home.  It is cheap transportation that allows significant mobility.  It will be a long time before a bus system will replace the dala dala for cost effectiveness and flexibility.  They each have their routes painted on the front and back, e.g. Ilula – Iringa.

6.     Cruisers.  This is just a big dala dala.  They are imported from Japan.  Actually all the vehicles in Africa are from Japan, at least most of them.  I did see a Ford Explorer the other day.  The cruisers get crammed as full as the dala dalas, but are simply bigger and generally newer.  Maybe not!  These are what we ride in when we are coming from Dar to Iringa.  But we usually have only a dozen instead of 45 people.  Of course, we have luggage too….

7.     Automobiles, 4x4s and sedans.  The average age is a decade.  There are many Toyota sedans.  Only a few other makes are here.  Toyota has a corner on this market.  There are a few Mitsubishis and Nissans, a rare Mercedes too.  Of course, the Toyota hood ornament looks like a Mercedes hood ornament.  By accident, I am sure!  There are many Land Rovers and Toyota Land Cruisers. 

Gargantua

That’s what we have, a one year-old Land Cruiser.  It is a beauty.  Nice to drive, nice ride!  I call it “The Behemoth.”  I suppose if I called it Gargantua, I could leave off the “The.”  I fold in the mirrors to get through our gate.   Don't get me wrong.  It is a great vehicle.  But it’s no Nissan 350Z, that’s for sure.

8.     Big buses.  Huge buses.  Most folks ride the dala dalas or cruisers.  But if you are going to Mbeya or Dar, you take one of the big buses.  They are huge and over-powered.  They speed.  I don’t know how they get away with it.  Last November, as it passed another vehicle, one of the big buses clipped and killed a boy in Mbigili.  Somehow, the bus company can protect the drivers.  Apparently, the driver didn’t have any consequences.

Ubiquitous small truck

9.     Trucks, big trucks and bigger trucks.  Wow!  They don’t move as fast as the buses, but they make up for it in sheer numbers.  Semi trailers, tanker trucks, container trucks, flatbeds.  There are grooves in the road from Dar to Iringa, especially around Mikumi.  That road was new in 2006 when we first came here.  Now it needs repair.  I hope soon!

10. Airplanes.  There is an airport near Iringa, now with regular flights to Dar and Arusha (I think).  It is a good alternative to other ways of getting to Dar if you have the cash.

One thing about the “rules of the road” in Tanzania.  Well, actually there is only one rule and it’s a version of “Might makes right.”  So pedestrians beware!  Of course most drivers, except for the novice wazungu, drive on the left side of the road.  There are no traffic lights in Iringa.  There are in Dar, but I have no idea what the red light means.  I am pretty sure green is for go.  As far as other two, to quote the Pirate Barbossa, “the code is more what you'd call ‘guidelines’ than actual rules.”

Drivers, and riders for that matter, certainly aren’t risk averse.  Except for me, maybe.