I am now going to say a word about transportation in Samoa. In the US there are many ways to get places. Of course most importantly is the fact that almost everyone has their own car. Not so here. While I am by no means an expert on transportation in Samoa I feel as though I can at least provide some insight.
I’ll start with the bus. The bus is the basic means of transportation on the island. They are cheap and run everywhere. They have no schedules and there are no bus stops. If you want to ride one you either go to the market or you wave one down. When you are ready to disembark you pull the cord attached to the little horn by the driver’s ear and he will stop the bus. It’s a very informal system. The older busses, which comprise the majority of the busses here are old Chevy frames that have been built up and have seats on the inside. They are very colorfully painted on the outside, and all of them have their own unique name. Unfortunately Chevy has stopped making the frames so they are now switching to more conventional looking busses. Busses also have no passenger limit. And by that I mean if all the seats are taken find a lap. Any lap will do, but preferably one at the back so that its easier for people to get on and off of the bus. I rode in at least two busses this weekend that easily had fifty people crammed on them. I’ve been on crowded busses before but normally I’m on board before they get full and towards the front so I just sit and laugh inside as more people climb aboard. Saturday morning however we were two of the last people on board the full bus headed to town. I knew it was coming the moment I got on the bus. And of course it had to be 99% male. I walk towards the back. I knew theoretically how the “sit on someone’s lap” worked but had never had to actually do it. Of course by this point all the guys are laughing at me. There are probably two women on the entire bus and they’re at the front. Whose lap was I going to choose?
Next in popularity is probably the taxi. Most people do not own cars so it’s cheap and convenient to take a taxi. Also, busses don’t run after 6pm so if you need to get anywhere your best bet is to call for a taxi. As far as taxis go they are relatively uninteresting. They aren’t much different from the ones in the states except for there are no fares posted so you’d better know how much you should be paying because many of them will try to rip off palagis.
Finally, there is always private transportation. Not many families own cars as they are very expensive. Most of the cars were sent from oversees which adds another interesting dimension. Due to American influence during WWII- we built the roads still used today- people drive on the right side of the road. However, many of the cars come from Australia or New Zealand so the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. Or the wrong side of the car depending on how you look at it. They tried to pass a law forbidding the importation of right-sided steering wheeled cars but I don’t think its going to work. Also, as far as I can tell the theory that applies to busses also applied to car- pack in as many people as possible. Driving home on Friday we had ten people plus luggage in a little jeep. With no AC. Quite a common occurrence I was assured.
