Ladies have devised tricky ways of riding for free in matatus. Matatu fare consumes a lot of money for urban dwellers. Depending on the proximity of your estate to town, the amount may range from Kshs 2,000- Kshs 4,000 per month. An opportunity to save on the fare is therefore seized and maximized. Ladies know how to do this more than anyone else.
Befriending Driver and Conductor
One way of avoiding paying fare is to become friendly to matatu operators. A lady would become nice to matatu driver and/or conductor in order to avoid paying fare. She can decide to be friendly to all matatu operators plying her route or she can decide to choose a particular driver. She would stand at the bus stage and wait for this particular driver. She would be the first to sit next to the driver. With time, they would become best of friends and the driver would start favoring her.
Sitting next to a rich guy
Another trick ladies use to avoid paying bus fare is to sit next to a rich guy or a guy who looks slightly well-off. Once they have made themselves comfortable next to this guy, they would strike a conversation. This conversation would proceed up to the point where the conductor will ask for fares. She would pretend to be searching for money inside her humongous handbag until the guy would pronounce the magic words, “Kata ya watu wawili.” The search would come to an abrupt stop.
Personal cars
One way of avoiding paying bus fares is to hook up with that guy who owns a personal car in your estate and he happens to be working in town. Ladies would take advantage of him and ride for free in his car. It would start, one day, as a simple request to have a ride to town but days would turn into weeks and weeks into months. Before the guy knows it, it has become a permanent routine.
Lipan na M-pesa
Sometimes ladies pretend that they do not have cash. They would propose to pay using M-pesa. Most of the time, this can be a genuine request but sometimes, it is a trick ladies use to make sure they do not pay fares in future. How? By paying through M-pesa, the lady knows that the matatu operator or driver would get her number and have the temptations to seduce her. She will then take that advantage to ask for small favors like having a free ride to town. You dig it?