Bicycles as an Alternative Means of Transportation

September 2008

Generally, people in Zambia walk or use one of the ubiquitous minibuses. There is no public transportation system, especially in the city. This rather chaotic way of getting to and from a particular destination can be complex, difficult to plan and – especially for foreigners – somewhat frustrating at times.

Cabs are available, and they allow travelers to reach their destination rather quickly, but the cost of doing so is increasingly substantial. At the same time, distances to be covered are often too far to do so by foot.

To enable those of us and our volunteers, who are in Zambia for a certain period of time to support our projects, to nevertheless reach their places of assignment in a safe and timely fashion, e.g. the orphanage or Mackenzie, we decided on the purchase of a set of bicycles.

Both, the orphanage as well as Mackenzie, are about a relaxed 30 min bike ride away. Using our bikes thus even beats the use of other means of transportation from a time perspective.