Minibuses

So this is something I don’t think I’ve really discussed yet, but definitely something worth sharing. I’m about to share with you all the wonders of transportation in Cape Town.
There are multiple forms of transportation: car, bus, taxi, moped, train, and minibus.

There are not many big cars here, for the most part they are all sedans, wagons, and bugs, with the occasional jeep or terrain vehicle. There are lots of mopeds and motorcycles, and I have seen 3 motorcycle crashes to date. One was pretty bad, one the guy got up and yelled at the car, and I couldn’t really see what was going on with the other. We take cabs or taxis when we go someplace far or specific. There are two types of taxi’s, the ones that are licensed and legit and run meters, and the ones that are not. If there is a lot of us we will call a legitimate taxi to come get us, otherwise we will walk to the 7-11(which is not related to the 7-11’s in the U.S.) at the top of our street where there is a taxi stand. These are basically cars with a taxi sign on top, sometimes the taxi sign falls off. We tell them where we want to go and what we want to pay and if they try to charge more we walk away and find someone who will charge that price. It’s usually 20-50 rand depending on how far we go, which is about 3-7 dollars. Sometimes the cars are a bit dodgy, but we go in groups and its okay. 

I haven’t taken the train very much, occasionally to the beach. Its cheap, 15 rand(2$), and definitely and experience. We buy first class tickets, since its safer, and we live right by the tracks so its only a short walk. The downside to the train is that it is unsafe to take after dark. I don’t know what happens but I know not to take it. One time when we were on our way back from the beach a homeless man, or atleast I presume he was homeless, saw that we were American and put on a show for us. He was wearing short jean shorts and a tiny t-shirt and a baseball cap that said Jagger on it. He sang and danced and swung from the bars of the train trying to impress us, and this lasted for about 20 minutes. It caused quite a scene actually, he really liked America and American music and it was very apparent.

My favorite type of transportation is the minibuses, and they are the main point of this post. Minibuses are a whole new breed of transportation, I have never seen anything quite like them. As soon as you get to Cape Town you notice it. Everywhere you go on the Main Road you hear men yelling “Wynberg!! Wynberg!!” or “Cape Town! Mowbray! Cape Town!” over and over and over. All day and all night. There are sticking their heads out of the windows of minibuses or the bus is pulled over and they are on the sidewalk trying to recruit riders. It doesn’t matter if you are walking the opposite direction, they will ask you atleast twice if you want to go to Wynberg(or Cape Town, depending on the direction they are driving. ). Even if you say no its likely they will ask again, just in case. The buses are slightly larger than minivans, and probably legally sit 11 or 12 people besides the driver. I have been in some that have sat over 20 people and the caller is still yelling to get people. You can tell when its full when the caller is sitting out of the window. There is usually just a driver and a caller and the passengers, and the caller sits in back and opens the door, collects money, and does all the yelling. When you do want to take a minibus they are very convenient and easy to find. You just stand on the side of the road and there will be one within two minutes. You take it in the general direction of where you want to go, give them 6 Rand, and tell them when you want to get out. Personally I think its really interesting that since there isn’t a subway that is sort of the legitimate form of local public transportation. Its efficient, inexpensive, and gets you where you need to go. Its known for being unsafe at night and I’ve heard horror stories of being robbed and held at gunpoint, so I wont test it. One dusk comes the whole world changes. As my dad always says, nothing good happens after 2 am. Its not exactly true, but you definitely don’t test it here. But anyways, there is always an interesting mix of people on the bus and you are practically sitting on top of each other. Sometimes they play inappropriate rap music regardless of the elderly women on the bus. These buses are definitely not legal, and I’m sure many of the drivers aren’t licensed to drive them. But its cool, This is Africa.