matatu
/məˈtatuː
/noun
(In East Africa) a minibus or similar vehicle used as a taxi.The government was particularly targeting the vehicles known as matatus - usually 24-seater vans and 32-seater omnibuses owned by individuals....
- He reappears with a matatu (which in a more touristy place has the wonderful name of ‘tandala,’ as that is how much it costs without pre-barter), which is a mini minibus, basically a van with seats.
- These are matatus, the most popular means of transport for Nairobi's two million people.
Origin
Swahili, short for mapeni matatu 'thirty cents', a flat fare charged in the early 1960s.