Minibus taxis

On two occasions I have used the little blue taxis to get around town,
but yesterday for the first time my coworker "M" and I got in the blue
minbus taxis that are so popular in Addis. Walking down Bole Road, the
main strip, you see dozens of these minibuses filled with passengers
rolling along in the outside lane, frequently stopping at various
destinations along the way where people either file inside or jump out.
The cost of a personal taxi is 20 birr at a minimum (about $2), but
these minibuses will cost you about 0.6 birr to go the same distance,
(that's right, less than a nickel). They are operated by a driver and
one attendant in the back that yells out the window to pedestrians to
let them know where the vehicle is headed and signals the driver where
to stop. He also collects the money and makes change in rapid succession
from the approximately 15 people squeezed into the minibus at any one
time. On the way back from dinner last night we told them our
destination and clamored in, M having to climb over a few people to an
open seat in the back while I grabbed a spot near the door. When we were
less than 200 meters from our place we stopped to pick up more
passengers. Even though M signaled that we wanted to go a little
further, the attendant waved for us to hop out to make room for the
people waiting. These minibuses are a reasonable and cheap way to get
around the city. The passengers range from school kids to young mothers
and toddlers to young urbanite party-goers, but the atmosphere inside is
one of camaraderie and respect, and a nice experience for the outsider
wanting to look inside.