The Cape Town Mini-Bus

Today, Mariah and I went on a nice run. It’s so good to have camaraderie while running. Even the mornings here are quite warm, and often dehydration weighs heavily on my endurance. After our run, Mariah, Sam, and I took the minibus back to Clifton, to a beach a couple coves down from the one we had been to before. On the way we met several locals who enlightened us about the endless activities in CT and wished us a very happy semester. Then, we spent another day relaxing in the brilliant sunshine that Cape Town offers. After some time, a good portion of our group joined us and for hours we ventured in and out of the cold water and up and down the coastline. Not a bad Monday. I ended the day with a guitar serenade by Brittany; there is nothing better.

The mini-bus system here is used more commonly than the regular buses that we are used to. The mini-bus driver and his “associate” take charge of the navigating and payment/passenger collections, respectively. Their pay is based on commission, so the more passengers, the more pay. There is no time to stop for more time than is necessary or to drive slowly.

And, it seems to me that never, under any circumstances is there a lack of room for one

more person until every seat meant for one is filled with at least two people. It is a process of piling in and piling out, since often the person departing is in the back of the mini-bus with 10 strangers acting as obstacles to the door. The advantage of riding the mini-bus is that you can ask the driver to stop anywhere along his route. Everyone pays roughly the same price for his or her distance traveled. Sometimes you can barter with the drivers if you are in a big group or persuade them to take you somewhere off of their typical route for some extra rand. One thing is for sure, the drivers care about their money. I have been on a mini-bus when the driver stopped the car and refused to continue until everyone had paid. These buses are dangerous, especially for the obvious foreigner. Petty theft is a common occurrence, and holding on to your bags is very necessary. Yet, there exists a whole chaotic system of passing bills up and back as people stuck behind other passengers reach to pay for their fare. We are told not to ride these after 6 pm. I can only imagine. It surely is a culturally enriching experience.