On two, three or four wheels - the public transport in Mwanza, Tanzania. PART 1

Auf zwei, drei oder vier Rädern – die Öffis in Mwanza, Tansania. PART 1

I am already looking forward to being able to get back on my bike or in my car in any weather conditions. In Mwanza, on the other hand , public transport is the city's artery. Depending on your financial situation, mood and time ambitions you can choose between the Boda Boda, Bajaj and Dala Dala. Today you will get to know the first two ways of moving...

SPRINT

While the expression piki piki means a classic motorcycle, boda boda means the large number of motorcycle taxis. Although it is definitely the fastest and most individual way to move within and outside the city limits, it is also by far the most expensive way of getting around.

But I don't have to worry about my short hairstyle with the whistling wind. From time to time, however, I worry more about the lack of a helmet and, despite the great feeling of freedom , I experience a deep urge to be able to wear a helmet. For a distance of seven kilometers from our house to the city center, the 100% male Boda Bodas are happy about a payment of 3000 TSH (1.20€).

MISHKAKI

Actually, it is only allowed to transport one person on the road. In everyday reality, motorcycles are often used to transport what feels like entire families or moves . As an answer to the direct question about the price to be negotiated beforehand (tsh gapi?), you get the sum for one person. However, if there is no other Boda nearby or the cuddly variant is preferred, the term Mishkaki comes into play. On the motorized bikes, however, a certain fear of contact would be a hindrance for three people including the driver.

However, the term Mishkaki does not primarily describe the double ride on the Boda, but rather an edible meat skewer . It remains in the eye of the beholder why a remedy was found in the culinary field for locomotion.

by Marwin Kleine