Public transport minibuses are known as Matatus which
dominate the public transport system of Kenya’s capital Nairobi.
The youths call it “Club on wheels” while others “Museum on
wheels” which fill the streets of Nairobi, Kenya, blaring music as they bounce and weave through
traffic.
Each Matatu is louder than the next, complete with
graffiti-style artwork, custom designs, flashy lights and onboard entertainment
to pull the youthful passengers’ attention.
The Matatus are cheap, convenient, and sometimes a tad chaotic although they are the choice mode of transport for most Kenyans. But Matatu culture may soon be under threat from government bans and alternative forms of public transport.
What is matatu culture?
Forget about eating Ugali or drinking a Tusker, matatu
culture is one of the most interesting things you can experience when you are
new in Nairobi.
It is more significant than socialites and sports culture
which are quite popular here too.
When RnB star Trey Songz came to Kenya, he had to take
a matatu
ride just to experience how pimped and comfortable our buses are.
I would say he was curious about our means of transport,
considering that he is from America, which is big on using the train as a means
of transportation.
Nairobi is more of a driving city as opposed to a subway
city like New York. We have the train network here, but it is rarely used for short
distances.
We only do the train for long distances to the coast, thanks
to the new SGR.
The Matatu culture has led to a lot of competition when it
comes to providing the best transport within the city.
Neighborhoods compete on which has the best matatus with
the best screens, seats and strong wi-fi. You can even charge your phone while
riding in a matatu to a long-distance hood like Rongai.
The bigger the screen…
the bigger the bill of course;)
If you are riding in a Rongai Matatu with a 52-inch screen
with the latest sound system playing some Lil Wayne and Drake songs, you will
pay Ksh150 for a Ksh80 distance. High-end matatus mean class and it is the affluent
kids of Nairobi that are most attracted to these interior decorated mats.
An expression of art
Forget about the comfort and sound system, that’s just the
tip of the iceberg.
What is best portrayed in these Nairobi matatus is the art culture within the city. According to this
article on tuko, “the matatu culture is one of the best portrayals
of art within the city“. You want to know which bands are trending, check
what is drawn on matatus.
And if you want to know which series guys are watching the
most, just check on the graphics on these matatus.
In fact, we have matatus specifically called ‘Breaking Bad’,
‘Prison Break’ etc. Prison Break actor T-Bag acknowledged on his facebook page a Nairobi
Matatu that had a poster of his picture.
This means that the battle is always on when it comes to
which matatu is holding it down. Nairobi has traffic.
If you want to escape it, you are better off with the classy
matatus which have sophisticated crews that overlap or take shortcuts and reach
the destination within a bat of an eyelid.
You think I am playing? Try to take a classy matatu from
Embakasi in the morning. They won’t follow the regular route that Citi
Hoppa does. Instead, they will pass through Buruburu to Starehe and
then get you in town in less than 30 minutes.
That is an entirely different story when you board a Citi
Hoppa that will follow the same old route with heavy traffic. You will take an
hour instead of 30 minutes.
The new City Hoppa curbs competition
Don’t think old buses like Citi Hoppas have
been eliminated from the competition by these new well-decorated matatus. They
simply have had to up their game to attract well-paying passengers too. I
remember inviting a friend to my place a few years ago. I instructed him to
take a City Hoppa, but he refused to board them because they are considered
cheap. However, that is a thing of the past as City Hoppas have decided
to purchase some
Benz looking like buses.
The bourgee matatus might have attracted the young
Nairobians, but the old buses have managed to attract advertisers. Apart from
just purchasing new Benzes, these buses have been used by branding companies to
put up posters. It is Tria that
came up with that genius idea called ‘bus media’.
According to this article on Forbes, “Tria makes over a million dollar in
a year by just placing adverts on these long buses“. It is an awesome
marketing idea, indeed.
Nganya/Matatu Awards
The long buses might get ads, but they rarely win awards
organized by the Matwana
Matatu culture.
These awards are won by sophisticated matatus that go to Buruburu, Embakasi and Komarock route. The kind of matatus that charge Ksh80 at any time, even on weekends when other buses are charging a standard fare of Ksh50 from town.