Taxis are usually regular-sized sedan cars, and the cost of the trip is the same for everyone — unless you hire a private taxi (which costs significantly more than a normal taxi service). Therefore, many people choose to co-share taxis because it’s cheaper. There are two kinds of taxis: 1) those that only operate inside a city or town and 2) longer-distance taxis that transport people from town to town. Inner city or town taxis are marked with one big letter and three numbers, while the rest are not. So when we are hopping on the bus, we make sure to look at the bus numbers and letters!
Allover Namibia, people also drive their own cars to get around. When I’m off from work, I like to drive my car to run errands in town. Namibians primarily use buses when they are traveling long distances because this mode of transport is the cheapest and safest way to travel far. I like to travel by bus when I’m visiting my parents in the Zambezi Region, which is in northeastern Namibia, because it takes about 12 hours to get there from my hometown of Otjiwarongo!
Bakkies (pick-up trucks) are used mostly by farmers for running farm errands and getting around with ease on various types of roads, which include gravel and sand. In some villages of Namibia, you might see people on a donkey cart to reach a neighboring village. I’ve never been on a donkey cart, but I think it’s a cool way of getting around!
When I’m not driving my car to get around, I like to co-share a taxi. The drivers are usually friendly and will help load all our bags in their car. No matter how many bags you all have, they always make them fit.
