The structure of the environment and transportation systems greatly influence the ability of residents to travel and participate in activities in their surroundings.
The most common modes of transportation throughout the capital city of Addis Ababa include private cars, taxis, minibuses, and on foot.
Airport taxis are metered, however other taxis operate on a negotiated fee between the driver and the customer and are not metered.
There are no wheelchair ramps or lifts on the minibuses and no systems to order specialized transport for people with mobility impairments.
Some people use wheelchairs, like this one. I took this photo of one common type of hand crank wheelchair near Medhane Alem Cathedral, the largest church in Ethiopia and the second largest church in Africa.
Many people with severe mobility impairments don't have access to wheelchairs, however even if a person has access to a functioning wheelchair, mobility is still very difficult due to environmental factors. Some large roads, like this one, have decent sidewalks, although curb cuts are rare, which means people using wheelchairs need someone else to help them up and down the curb:
Many sidewalks look like these:
Some roads don't have sidewalks at all, like this one, so pedestrians share the road with automobiles:
The most common modes of transportation throughout the capital city of Addis Ababa include private cars, taxis, minibuses, and on foot.
Minibuses routes are the most common method of public transportation around the city. The cost is approximately 2-3 birr, (10-15 US cents at the current exchange rate). The routes are officially scheduled however drivers take many liberties on the routes they actually drive.
There are no wheelchair ramps or lifts on the minibuses and no systems to order specialized transport for people with mobility impairments.
Some people use wheelchairs, like this one. I took this photo of one common type of hand crank wheelchair near Medhane Alem Cathedral, the largest church in Ethiopia and the second largest church in Africa.
Many people with severe mobility impairments don't have access to wheelchairs, however even if a person has access to a functioning wheelchair, mobility is still very difficult due to environmental factors. Some large roads, like this one, have decent sidewalks, although curb cuts are rare, which means people using wheelchairs need someone else to help them up and down the curb:
Many sidewalks look like these:
Some roads don't have sidewalks at all, like this one, so pedestrians share the road with automobiles:
Smaller roads look like this in the rainy season:
And like this in the dry season:
