Towards many places
Throughout the day, on the streets of Maputo, especially at public transport stops, we hear "the collectors" slapping the body of their minibuses whilst shouting:
“COSTA DO SOL, ANJO VOADOR, XIPAMANINI, BAIXA, LIBERDADE, MUSEU, PATRICE LUMUMBA, XIQUELENE”.
There's still space 1 (21th Century) by Tatiane OliveiraVirtual Museum of Lusophony
"Chapas"
Type of transport in Maputo
Types of public transport
In Maputo, there are different types of public transport: Chapas 100 (15-seater minibus); 25-seater buses; My Love (an expression used to describe open-top vans and pickup trucks operating without a license) and Maputo Public Transport.
Rush hour (21th Century) by Tatiane OliveiraVirtual Museum of Lusophony
Maputo Public Transport
A significant part of the population uses public transport to get around, as many people live in the suburbs or do not have their own vehicles.
Lack of supply of transport services
The growth in demand in Maputo in recent years has not been accompanied by an adequate increase in the supply of transport services. There is a real lack of supply, evidenced by the long queues and the overcrowding of vehicles.
Queues (21th Century) by Tatiane OliveiraVirtual Museum of Lusophony
Queues
"Costa do Sol" transport stop
Queue 1 (21th Century) by Tatiane OliveiraVirtual Museum of Lusophony
Queues
"Costa do Sol" transport stop
Capacity (21th Century) by Tatiane OliveiraVirtual Museum of Lusophony
Overcrowded
State of repair of the vehicles
All this made worse by the state of repair of the vehicles. Most of them have already travelled far too many kilometres without having done the required maintenance service.
Car stop 24 de julho (21th Century) by Tatiane OliveiraVirtual Museum of Lusophony
"Santa Filomena" transport stop
Lots of people come in (21th Century) by Tatiane OliveiraVirtual Museum of Lusophony
Lack of structural conditions
In addition to the lack of supply and unsafe minibuses, there is also a lack of accessibility for people with special needs. The population of Maputo lives with the lack of appropriate structures at bus stops, terminals and on the transport itself.
Bus stop CFM (21th Century) by Tatiane OliveiraVirtual Museum of Lusophony
CFM Bus Stop at "Praça dos Trabalhadores"
The introduction of new transport means such as the surface metro, the bus rapid transit system and maritime transport linking Maputo to the neighbouring city of Matola is still not a reality and the population continues to wait for better conditions for their daily commute.
Map transport Maputo (21th Century) by Tatiane OliveiraVirtual Museum of Lusophony
Transport map of Maputo
Photographer: Yassmin Forte
References:
DW (2024, 15 de fevereiro). Transportes em Maputo: Grande pedra no sapato do novo edil.https://www.dw.com/pt-002/transportes-p%C3%BAblicos-entre-os-desafios-do-novo-edil-de-maputo/a-68262816
Mabucanhane, N. Repensando o modelo dos transportes públicos urbanos de passageiros: um olhar à gestão da demanda nas cidades de Maputo e Matola. Espaço e Economia [Online], 13, 1-13. http://journals.openedition.org/espacoeconomia/4506 https://doi.org/10.4000/espacoeconomia.4506
Stacciarini, J. H. S., & Silva, L. C. da. (2018). O transporte público na capital Maputo (Moçambique): Abordagens e análises geográficas através do intercâmbio de conhecimentos e troca de saberes. Revista Da Casa Da Geografia De Sobral (RCGS), 20(2), 69–81. //rcgs.uvanet.br/index.php/RCGS/article/view/363
