A Mattatou is a micro-bus; sort of a mini-van with too many seats packed into it. Every ride in a mattatou is an adventure. These busses run for long hours every day with as many as twenty people crammed like sardines into them. The seats are very basic with not much in the way of padding. Also, as a result of heavy loads and severe road conditions, the suspension on most of the mattatous is in poor condition (as is more or less everything else in a mattatou.) So, your butt really hurts after a long mattatou ride. Getting on and off is also an interesting experience as the driver expects you to be able to hold on as he races to the next stop - before you've actually had a chance to get in.

The City Hoppa busses in Nairobi are full-sized and much more like north american busses, although, again, they have far too many seats crammed into them.

The people that you're crammed-in with are wonderful, though, and it's often fun to chat with the many strangers that you meet.