Transport in Malawi

For my journey up North last week I traveled by big buses and mini-buses. I had a lot of time to think as I travelled up and down Malawi, and I came up with this comparison of buses and mini-buses here.

Big Buses

There are three types of big buses here in Malawi.

1) High Quality - The first type are the expensive buses like those operated by the Premier Bus Company. They leave at scheduled times, make only one stop, and leave regardless of how full they are. It's one person per seat, and no standing in the aisles. They also give a little snack and a drink during the ride. This is my favorite way to travel, but the price means I can't always use it. Also this particular bus only goes between Blantyre and Lilongwe. It takes about four hours to go from Blantyre to Lilongwe on these buses.

2) Medium Quality - The second type of bus are less expensive, but still out of the price range of the typical villager. An example are most of the Axa buses. They leave at scheduled times, but make stops in all the major towns to pick up and drop off so it takes longer. These buses also leave regardless of how full they are. It's one person per seat, but they allow standing in the aisles. Or sitting, as the case may be, since people are on these buses for hours. This can make the bus feel really full. These buses travel across most of Malawi. It takes about five hours to go from Blantyre to Lilongwe on these buses.

2) Low Quality - The last type of bus is a low cost transport option that is typically used by the average Malawian for long-distances. I only took one once, on the way to visit my site for the first time in July 2014. And there is a reason for that.

These buses have no scheduled arrivals nor departures. They don't leave until they are full. That day we waited for the bus to fill up for over four hours before it left the bus depot. And when I say full, I mean every seat and packed aisles full of standing passengers. These buses make stops anywhere there is a person, a bus depot, a vendor selling stuff, or I don't know, a maize plant growing. It was ridiculous and frustrating. All told it took us 10 hours to go from Lilongwe to Blantyre that day. I didn't get any photos though.

Mini-Buses

The other major type of public transport used here are mini-buses. I've posted a lot about them, so I won't say too much more. Suffice to say, they are usually run-down vehicles the size of a VW Bus with anywhere from 16-25 people crammed in them, plus chickens, goats, fish and whatever else people need to carry. They cram in as many people as they can, sometimes even making people sit backwards in the first row, or having people stand (or crouch). It's not uncommon for doors to be falling off, pieces of metal to stick out inside the vehicle and bags of maize to be on the floor so you have to step over or on it to enter and leave the vehicle. They go short and long distances, leave only when they are full, have no scheduled times, and stop anywhere there is a person wanting a ride or needing to be dropped off.

Here is a pic from a mini-bus I took last week. I love the expression on that lady's face. She was probably wondering why this crazy azungu was taking a photo of the mini-bus. You can't see it here, but there was a guy standing just to the left of me too. Just a typical mini-bus ride in Malawi.

Kuyenda ku Malawi

It's week 8 of Pre-Service Training. For the first month my group was transported by Peace Corps vehicles when we needed to visit the Boma (district center) or visit a local Community Day Secondary School. However, I knew the day would come when I had to travel by other means. That day was a couple weeks ago.

After receiving language training in bargaining and transportation, our group split up into pairs during Week 6. Then we were dropped off at various points along a road, in the company of a language trainer. Our task - get to the local msika (market) by catching a ride in a mini-bus. I was so nervous about it beforehand, and when the mini-bus actually stopped it was so chaotic that I forgot to use my Chichewa. It worked out though. My mini-bus partner Bill and I were sandwiched in the second row between the conductor and another passenger, and after about six more stops we reached the market. Success!

Since that day, I have travelled by mini-bus quite a few times, as well as by  several other private transportation methods. (There is no public transportation system in Malawi that I have seen.)

As a Peace Corps Trainee/Volunteer** in Malawi my transportation options are:

- Walk: this is my preferred option, but it isn't practical for longer trips, obviously

- Bicycle: Peace Corps issued my group bikes and gave us training in how to maintain and repair them. I am not really a bicycle person as I prefer to walk most places if I can, but it could come in handy. PCVs are always required to wear a helmet when riding a bike.

- Bike Taxi: this is another transportation method that you see all over Malawi. Typically the bike is decorated with bright colors and there is a cushion on the back for the passenger to sit on. There is also a second set of handlebars for the passenger to hold into, and little footrests, although I heard as you go north it is less likely the taxi will have handlebars. Typically women sit side saddle due to the skirt. I am not that brave though, so both times I rode on a bike taxi, I just sat facing forward and pulled my skirt down over my knees.)

- Mini-Bus: for short to long-distance travel, this is a readily-available option in Malawi. Typically the vehicles are designed to seat 12 people, but they usually have a minimum of 16. I heard the PCV mini-bus record was something like 32, but I'm skeptical. So far mine is 18. At my site this will be my primary travel method besides walking.

- Hitchhike: This is discouraged by Peace Corps except in emergency situations, but in a lot of rural areas this may be the only practical option. Sometimes they let you ride for free, sometimes they might ask for money. It just depends. Regardless, you should always ask before you accept the ride. Hitching here is much safer than in America because it is so common here, but it is always wise to use common sense when employing this option.

- Basi: This is a good option for long-distance travel, and considered very safe by Peace Corps. It is travel by a large private bus. Prices vary, but you get what you pay for. I paid about 3000MK for a bus ride going South to Blantyre, but the bus waited for hours before leaving to fill every seat (and even have people stand in the center aisles). It also stopped very frequently, and didn't really offer any bathroom stops. Going back North, I took another Basi which cost about 6500MK, but it left closer to the actual scheduled time, it had music videos on a TV at the front of the bus (lots of Celine Dion, as per usual in Malawi), and stopped only at a few bus depots so it was much faster. It also made two bathroom stops, although I heard it was less a toilet and more a urination trough for ladies. On bus travel days, it is best to drink minimal amounts of water.

In the last few weeks I have travelled by a variety of different methods. Soon I'll be a pro. While in Malawi I would also like to try traveling by boat (on the lake) and by ox-cart (which is less about function and more just to try it). Special thanks to Ryan, now a RPCV, for showing me the ropes with a few of these travel methods during my site visit. I was really nervous about traveling in Malawi, but he loves it so he was a good person to go around with. I hope I can embrace travel here as well.

**Note - Peace Corps Trainees and Volunteers are not permitted to drive vehicles, nor to ride a motorcycle.