Matatu

In Kenya and neighbouring nations, matatu (or matatus) are privately owned minibuses, although pick-up trucks and estate cars were in the past pressed into service as these East African share taxis. Often decorated, many matatu feature portraits of famous people or slogans and sayings. Likewise, the music they play is also aimed at quickly attracting riders.

These minibuses ply set routes, run from termini, and are used for both inter- and intra-city travel. In addition to a driver, matatu may be staffed by a conductor.

As of 1999, they were the only form of public transport available in Nairobi, Kenya, although in 2006 and 2008 this was no longer the case.Kampala, Uganda, may only be serviced by minibuses as of 2008. As of 2014, there are more than 20,000 individual matatu in Kenya. In 1993, there may have been double that number.

The name may also be used in parts of Nigeria.

The name derives from a Swahili colloquialism meaning "three". One explanation is that the wagons originally pressed into service as matatu could be fitted with three rows of bench seats. Other sources maintain that three cents was a typical fare in the 1960s. This is unlikely as the 1 cent coin was withdrawn from circulation in the late 1950s. As an indication of its limited purchasing power, a box of matches cost 15 or 20 cents and a single cigarette cost 5 cents. On the other hand, a 3 shilling fare (1 shilling = 100 cents) would be too high.

There is not a universally agreed on origin for the name, however, with a news source indicating its origin lies in the Kikuyu language.

At times in Kenya, the matatu has been associated with criminality or reckless driving. Writes one academic, "by the end of the 1990s, matatu operators were typically viewed... by Kenyans of all ranks as thugs who exploited and mistreated passengers and participated in gang or mafia-like violence."

In the early 2000s, struggle over control of matatu routes by informal groups led to violence, and contemporary headlines highlight the fact that matatu were perceived as unsafe. These include a 2002 article titled "riding in Kenya's taxi vans is [a] death-defying experience" and another from 1999 proclaiming that the "menace of deadly matatus [is] to be curbed." Mistreatment of passengers has also been reported and includes: "verbal and physical abuse, theft, hijacking, ...sexual harassment, beatings, and rape."

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Wikipedia