Looking for the African middle class? Head to the bus park

The Ugandan traffic officer slid back the door of the 14-seater taxi to find 20 adults, four children, and a squashed correspondent. “Why are none of you complaining?” she asked, peering into the tangle of limbs. Indeed, nobody had said anything as the conductor had delayed departure to stuff his minibus beyond legal limits. And now they kept quiet as the policewoman ordered the excess passengers to disembark. A mile down the road, with the cops out of sight, the evictees squeezed back in again, having hitched a ride on tactically positioned motorbikes.The policewoman’s question is pertinent. Why should African travellers put up with discomfort and delay? Shared taxis and intercity buses routinely leave hours late. Most passengers tolerate bad service with surprising equanimity. But some of them are starting to demand a better one—a sign of rising incomes and the changing economic value of time.