Vehicles

1. Gari

   Car

   Usage

   The basic word for a vehicle. "Gari imekwama" (the car is stuck) appears in the transport cards

   Grammar Note

   A class 5 noun; the plural is "magari".

2. Basi

   Bus

   Usage

   "Kituo cha basi" is the bus stop, as in the noun cards; the plural is "mabasi". Note that the interjection "basi" (well then / enough) is spelled identically

3. Basi la safari ndefu

   Long-distance coach

   Usage

   The intercity coach on routes such as Nairobi–Mombasa or Dar es Salaam–Arusha. Night services have a poor safety record, so travel by day

4. Matatu

   Matatu (shared minibus)

   Usage

   The shared minibus of Kenya and Uganda, running fixed routes with a conductor ("makanga") collecting fares — famous for loud paintwork and louder music. In Tanzania the same thing is a "daladala"

5. Daladala

   Daladala (shared minibus)

   Usage

   Tanzania's shared minibus, with the destination painted on the windscreen. The word does not travel to Kenya — say "matatu" there. It appears in the transport cards

6. Boda boda

   Boda boda (motorbike taxi)

   Usage

   The motorbike taxi across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania — the name is said to come from bicycles ferrying people across the "border". Agree the fare first and ask for a helmet

7. Bajaji

   Bajaji (auto rickshaw)

   Usage

   The Tanzanian name, from the Indian Bajaj brand; in Kenya the same vehicle is a "tuk tuk". "Nauli ya bajaji" (the bajaji fare) appears in the transport cards

8. Tuk tuk

   Usage

   What it is called on the Kenyan coast — Mombasa, Malindi, Diani. The same vehicle is a "bajaji" in Tanzania, so switch words by region

9. Teksi

   Taxi

   Usage

   There is usually no meter, so settle the price first with "nauli ni ngapi?". In Nairobi and Dar es Salaam the ride-hailing apps are cheaper and safer

10. Treni

    Train

    Usage

    Borrowed from English. There is also an older expression, "gari la moshi" — the smoke vehicle

11. SGR

    SGR (Standard Gauge Railway)

    Usage

    The fast line between Nairobi and Mombasa (the Madaraka Express) and Tanzania's new Dar es Salaam–Dodoma route. Faster and safer than the coach, and the usual recommendation for visitors

12. Pikipiki

    Motorbike

    Usage

    Named after the engine sound. "Kuendesha pikipiki" (to ride a motorbike) appears in the transport cards

13. Baiskeli

    Bicycle

    Usage

    Borrowed from English. Useful when renting on Zanzibar or Lamu

14. Ndege

    Airplane

    Usage

    The same word also means "bird". "Uwanja wa ndege" is the airport, as in the noun cards. Light aircraft are common for reaching safari camps

15. Meli

    Ship

    Usage

    A large passenger or cargo vessel, including the Dar es Salaam–Zanzibar service

16. Feri

    Ferry

    Usage

    For the Likoni crossing at Mombasa and the fast boats between Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar

17. Mashua

    Small boat

    Usage

    The small wooden boat of the coast, chartered for snorkelling and island transfers. Agree the return time as well

18. Dau

    Dhow

    Usage

    The traditional sailing craft of the Indian Ocean trade, now used for sunset cruises off Zanzibar and Lamu. The larger type is a "jahazi"

19. Gari la wagonjwa

    Ambulance

    Usage

    Literally "the sick people's vehicle"; the borrowed "ambulensi" also works. Emergency numbers are 999 in Kenya and 112 in Tanzania

20. Gari la kukodi

    Rental car

    Usage

    Both Kenya and Tanzania drive on the left, and national parks require a 4x4. Hiring with a driver is the norm

21. Gari la safari

    Safari vehicle

    Usage

    The 4x4 with a pop-up roof. "Safari" is simply the ordinary Swahili word for a journey — English borrowed it from here

22. Lori

    Lorry / Truck

    Usage

    From British English "lorry" — used when describing an accident or road conditions. The plural is "malori"

23. Mkokoteni

    Handcart

    Usage

    The two-wheeled cart that moves goods around markets and city streets — still the main way to shift a load down a narrow lane

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