Over the years, using taxis has and will continue to be the means of transportation that most of the Ugandans use. I highly doubt I can go a week without using those bread like vans.
There is a thing about riding in those new taxis, you feel so comfortable you starting daydreaming while on the journey to either work or home and should you be on your way home, then you’re most definitely going to dream. But like the norm is in Uganda, most of the Taxis are the very old.
If you persistently use the Northern bypass then you know that some taxis are so old that every time the driver is changing gears, you can feel the breaks hitting the ground.
One time I entered a taxi that was so old, a turtle would petition. I sat in it with my eyes glued to my phone looking for that Winnie Nwangi “Oyitayo” song cause at the time my crush was finally speaking to me and I was happy.
After enjoying my jam, I finally looked around and noticed that as the taxi was moving, I could see the road below my legs, my guy. I have never been more terrified than I was at that moment.
However, that won’t be my focus of talk today. I will be talking about inside experiences. Taxis sure are the means to getting by but they are also the best place for one very good laugh. I kid you not when you get into one and someone is so chatty, know that you’re in for a treat unless of course the person is selling manpower and issues to do with water or is preaching then you’re in for some mess.
In the taxis, you will find all sorts of things, from those who buy pop corns to take to their kids only to eat them along the way, to those being vibed on the way. The eating guys are the scariest, one day at around 6 pm am on my way to Seeta, I was sitting at the front until my eyes landed on a lad who had bought a cluster of bananas.
The passenger started eating one by one and I thought after the third one, the brother would leave some for the kids but alas by the time we got to Seeta Jomayi stage, the guy was throwing out the finished cluster.
I was left in total shock. Talking about eating, there is a group that eat grounds nuts. Guys, I will tell you this, which is the worst experience ever, the smell can rile up the hunger you been suppressing all day and you start stretching your neck like an ostrich.
I never mind the eating until someone whips out that big black polythene bag and you think to yourself a book is going to be read, only for you to see ffene (jack fruit).
That jack fruit can make your intestines so confused that they will quarrel in different languages you won’t even understand. At one point, they are hungry, another wants you to reach your hand out and smack the person.
As I wind up with my mind wreck today, I want to talk about the people who tell stories in taxis. You will hear some interesting ones in the taxi that will have you reevaluate your entire life and if it’s those about love, they are capable of making you think that you don’t love your girl enough or that your girl is not loving you either.
I will say this, sometime last year I was in a taxi and this couple happened to come and sit right behind me. They started stammering about how they loved each other so much and made plans. At the time, I was single as they come and immediately the frustration set in.
I checked the bag for earphones only to remember that someone in their infinite powers at the office felt that they needed my babies more than I did. The Taxi had no inside lights and so the next thing I heard was these guys kissing.
My head almost exploded. The girl giggling and trying her best to whisper to her bae how she adored him. It was at that point I knew that love was something that we all needed to have.
Taxis also do come with those moments where some pedestrians will jump out of nowhere and steal your phone or cross the road without even looking to see if someone there is a car coming.
Also read: Echodu’s Mind: Why Kyadondo is The Ultimate Place to Visit While in Kampala
