Dala Dala Pole Pole (Dala Dala, Slowly Slowly)


One of my favourite ways to travel in Tanzania is on a Dala Dala. Yes, you say it the way it looks. A dala dala is the Tanzanian form of public transport. Basically they’re mini-vans with around four rows of seats in the back. Safely they can hold around twelve people but I’ve NEVER been on a Dala dala with just 11 others. It averages at around 20, not including the people sitting in the front beside the driver but more often has 30.

Below is a photo of my friend Paul Weinland on a dala dala with a total stranger on his lap! The joys of public transport in Tanzania!

Privately owned, Dala dalas leave the town or terminus and go to a variety of destinations. So to catch one, you go to the local terminus and say where you’re going. Usually around the terminus, there are around 20 men trying to get business, as sometimes there will be several going to the same destination. Getting past them can be a bit of a trauma as they fight over your business. If you’re lucky, there will be a nearly full one ready to go but with an available seat. If you’re unlucky, the dala dala will either be packed and you’ll have to squeeze in OR it will be empty and you just have to wait until it fills up because only then does it leave! So, no, there are no timetables or anything resembling a schedule – dala dalas leave when they’re full. Just as the driver gets ready to pull off, it seems that a million people arrive out of the woodwork and pile in.

When all the seats are full, standing passengers then get packed in. The most comfortable technique is to lean over your neighbour in a friendly fashion. Often a seated passenger will hold your groceries or even your child. Mostly, dala dalas drive with the side door open so that the conductor can hang out. If it’s particularly packed, some passengers also are hanging out the door. Thankfully they don’t go very fast so, if you go over rough terrain and fall out, it’s pretty safe… Bus stops don’t really exist. When you want to get out, you shout “Shusa” whereupon it will stop and let you off. Similarly, it stops along the road whenever someone wants to get on. There doesn’t appear to be a limit to the number of people who can get on. I’ve yet to see a Dala Dala refuse people, simply because it’s full… there’s always room to be made for others.

The thing I like about this type of transport is that you are very much involved with the locals. I’ve had some of my most interesting conversations on dala dalas. I’ve even been invited to dinner by a girl on the dala dala! And it cost the equivalent of US 0.20c to go from town to home (around 8km).

But damn it hurts when you go over a bump in the road!



The bumpy road - and of course, all the women are carrying their buckets (after using them as seats on the dala dala)