Back on the Bus

One of the results of moving farther away from my workplaces has been a vast increase in my use of the local bus "system." Bussing here is done by privately run minibusses which are refurbished vans from Japan that are painted blue and white, and the seats are rearranged so that they can fit 15 or so passengers (4 across per row), the driver, and the "conductor." The conditions are almost always cramped (which also means that it gets hot quickly), but are usually not uncomfortable. I've sat in a couple of situations where I had a metal bar in the seat behind me digging into my back, but this is the exception rather than the rule. It really depends on the quality of the bus - some are practically falling apart, others are brand new. I've also grown in my minibus IQ so I now know that there are certain places to sit and certain places to try not to sit.

The minibusses technically have set stops while they are on the main road but when they are in the compound they will stop anywhere to pick up, or drop off, a passenger. They want your business so they will stop and wait for you if need be, or reverse down a hill to pick you up. Generally, they wait till they fill up to leave the first stop. This means that if you are the first one there and it is not a busy time you can be in for quite a wait. During peak hours this is not a problem. If they don't fill up then they will slowly progress trying to pick up passengers along the way. It is the job of the conductor, also known by a less glorious name of "call boy" to get people to get on the bus - either by running around yelling out the destination, waving and whistling at people, helping them with their stuff, etc. When they fill up, however, these busses fly (the drivers can be pretty crazy, although this is appreciated by a passenger such as myself during rush hour log jams). The scheduled stops are few enough, and the number of passengers small enough that, unlike Winnipeg public transit, one does not have to stop every 200m down the road to pick up or drop off a passenger.

A couple of days after I arrived at my host family they bought a minibus. It runs 6 days a week from 6:00 up to 20:00. They have a driver (the thought of someone doing six 14 hour days behind the wheel is slightly unnerving, particularly when one considers that there are countless others doing the same thing). Apparently the bus should pay for itself with a year as long as it has no major mechanical problems.

On the whole I appreciate the bus system here. It is generally quick, it gives an opportunity to interact with people, I have been able to sit beside a live chicken on one trip (trying pulling that in Winnipeg!), and since people want your business they are willing to go above and beyond to get you on board. This last point can also be a bit of a hassle, along with the occasional slow trips on an empty bus constantly trying to pick up passengers or the uncomfort that sometimes accompanies the cramped conditions of sitting four to a row of a narrow bus. Minibusses, however, represent another essential aspect of Lusaka life.