Matatoo

A matatoo is a van that is used for public transportation in Kenya. They are everywhere. It is the size and shape of the old VW vans from the 60’s and 70’s and are made to hold 12 people plus the driver. The big advantage of taking a matatoo is how cheap they are. We hired a cab to take us to Care for Aids on Saturday, a distance of about 30 km and it cost us 2500 Kenyan shillings (about $30). On the way home we traveled in matatoos and the cost was about $2. The disadvantage of taking a matatoo is the size. The saying in Kenya is that a matatoo is never full. The reason for this is because every body the driver can cram into his matatoo is more money for him. Today on the way to church, we rode in a matatoo with 25 people! I don’t know if there is a Guiness record for the most people in a matatoo, but I think we set it today.