HOW NAIROBI’S DIGITAL MATATUS PROJECT BUILT A TOOL TO SEE AND ADVOCATE FOR POPULAR TRANSPORT
THIS STORY WAS DEVELOPED FROM INTERVIEWS AND ARCHIVAL MATERIALS ABOUT THE DIGITAL MATATUS PROJECT:
SARAH WILLIAMS, Civic Data Design Lab, MIT
JACQUELINE KLOPP, Center for Sustainable Urban Development, Columbia Climate School, Columbia University
PETER WAIGANJO, Department of Computing and Informatics and C4D Lab, University of Nairobi
DANIEL ORWA, Department of Computing and Informatics and C4d Lab, University Of Nairobi
ADAM WHITE, Groupshot
SARAH WILLIAMS, Civic Data Design Lab, MIT
JACQUELINE KLOPP, Center for Sustainable Urban Development, Columbia Climate School, Columbia University
PETER WAIGANJO, Department of Computing and Informatics and C4D Lab, University of Nairobi
DANIEL ORWA, Department of Computing and Informatics and C4d Lab, University Of Nairobi
ADAM WHITE, Groupshot
When Nairobi’s Digital Matatus project launched in 2012, it did more than capture routes—it transformed how cities worldwide think about popular transport. By mapping Nairobi’s matatu network from the bottom up—using mobile phones, student researchers, driver and passenger input and open data standards—the project pioneered a new methodology for documenting the world’s most vital, yet often invisible, transit systems. It wasn’t a top-down blueprint from the government; it was a grassroots, multi-faceted collaboration that revealed everyday mobility as a legible system that could be planned for.
What made the data collection project so revolutionary was the decision to visualize through a map and open data set, but also the entire process to everyone, creating new conversations about popular transport globally. This radical transparency and collaboration enabled Nairobi’s tech community to build apps that improved daily commutes; it empowered residents to better understand their own city; and it gave planners, policy analysts, and researchers locally and globally the tools to conceive and model new, more equitable systems through network redesign and improvements to what lay before them.
Today, cities from Manila to Accra have followed Nairobi’s lead, building on Digital Matatus’ learning and framework to map and reimagine their own complex shared mobility systems. This all began, however, with recognizing the beauty and power of Nairobi’s matatu system.
ART ON WHEELS, DESIGNED BY THE PEOPLE
Catching a matatu in Nairobi isn’t just a commute—it’s a cultural experience. These privately-run minibuses pulse through the city with names like “Jay-Z,” blaring hip-hop and gospel through oversized speakers, their sides splashed with murals of pop stars and social icons.
Beyond its functionality, the matatu system is a cornerstone of Nairobi’s cultural identity. “Some decorations cost more than $30,000,” noted Professor Dan Orwa. “It’s not just a vehicle—it’s an experience.”
The matatu system is a cornerstone of Nairobi’s cultural identity. But for all their flair and ubiquity, the movement and structure of matatus—used by over 3 million people daily—were long misunderstood. They operate in tight-knit cooperatives known as saccos, which informally govern their routes and operations. No city map showed their paths. No schedule listed their stops. And for planners and commuters alike, navigating the system was a blend of memory, guesswork, and word of mouth.
That changed in 2012, when a team of researchers, technologists, planners, students, and civic partners launched Digital Matatus, one of the first projects in the world to map an informal transit network and publish the data openly. Going well beyond digitizing transit, it made it visible, usable, and ultimately transformative.
A TEAM FORMS TO MAP THE UNMAPPABLE
The idea took root when Jacqueline Klopp at the Center for Sustainable Urban at Columbia University teamed up with Sarah Williams, a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and director of the Civic Data Design Lab and received critical support from Benjie de la Peña, then at the Rockefeller Foundation.
Together with urban designer Adam White and faculty from the Department of Computing and Informatics and the C4D Lab of the University of Nairobi—Dan Orwa and Peter Waiganjo—the team set out to do what no one else had: make the city’s transit system visible.
Initial research revealed the scale of the challenge. “What they found was Microsoft Word files that kind of explained the routes,” explains Williams of the project’s earlier days. “There were no formal records, just scattered lists and local knowledge.”
To bring order to that chaos, the team turned to technology. With the help of students from the University of Nairobi, they leveraged cell phones with GPS to trace the movement of the matatus. Sometimes students rode the vehicles, other times they mapped routes from the safety of a car. “You can imagine some of the challenges,” Dan says. “Here you are with very expensive devices, sitting in a matatu, which is not the safest of all things.”
Their effort produced a digital map of 135 routes. Just as importantly, it made the data available in GTFS, the global standard used by trip planning apps like Google Maps. For the first time, Nairobi’s transit system became searchable and understandable not just to urban planners, but to everyday commuters. “Getting that map into Google was powerful, as it gave access to anyone with a smartphone” according to Williams.
“We didn’t just want a map,” explains Williams. “We wanted data that anyone could build with—apps, plans, civic tools.”
What made the data collection project so revolutionary was the decision to visualize through a map and open data set, but also the entire process to everyone, creating new conversations about popular transport globally. This radical transparency and collaboration enabled Nairobi’s tech community to build apps that improved daily commutes; it empowered residents to better understand their own city; and it gave planners, policy analysts, and researchers locally and globally the tools to conceive and model new, more equitable systems through network redesign and improvements to what lay before them.
Today, cities from Manila to Accra have followed Nairobi’s lead, building on Digital Matatus’ learning and framework to map and reimagine their own complex shared mobility systems. This all began, however, with recognizing the beauty and power of Nairobi’s matatu system.
ART ON WHEELS, DESIGNED BY THE PEOPLE
Catching a matatu in Nairobi isn’t just a commute—it’s a cultural experience. These privately-run minibuses pulse through the city with names like “Jay-Z,” blaring hip-hop and gospel through oversized speakers, their sides splashed with murals of pop stars and social icons.
Beyond its functionality, the matatu system is a cornerstone of Nairobi’s cultural identity. “Some decorations cost more than $30,000,” noted Professor Dan Orwa. “It’s not just a vehicle—it’s an experience.”
The matatu system is a cornerstone of Nairobi’s cultural identity. But for all their flair and ubiquity, the movement and structure of matatus—used by over 3 million people daily—were long misunderstood. They operate in tight-knit cooperatives known as saccos, which informally govern their routes and operations. No city map showed their paths. No schedule listed their stops. And for planners and commuters alike, navigating the system was a blend of memory, guesswork, and word of mouth.
That changed in 2012, when a team of researchers, technologists, planners, students, and civic partners launched Digital Matatus, one of the first projects in the world to map an informal transit network and publish the data openly. Going well beyond digitizing transit, it made it visible, usable, and ultimately transformative.
A TEAM FORMS TO MAP THE UNMAPPABLE
The idea took root when Jacqueline Klopp at the Center for Sustainable Urban at Columbia University teamed up with Sarah Williams, a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and director of the Civic Data Design Lab and received critical support from Benjie de la Peña, then at the Rockefeller Foundation.
Together with urban designer Adam White and faculty from the Department of Computing and Informatics and the C4D Lab of the University of Nairobi—Dan Orwa and Peter Waiganjo—the team set out to do what no one else had: make the city’s transit system visible.
Initial research revealed the scale of the challenge. “What they found was Microsoft Word files that kind of explained the routes,” explains Williams of the project’s earlier days. “There were no formal records, just scattered lists and local knowledge.”
To bring order to that chaos, the team turned to technology. With the help of students from the University of Nairobi, they leveraged cell phones with GPS to trace the movement of the matatus. Sometimes students rode the vehicles, other times they mapped routes from the safety of a car. “You can imagine some of the challenges,” Dan says. “Here you are with very expensive devices, sitting in a matatu, which is not the safest of all things.”
Their effort produced a digital map of 135 routes. Just as importantly, it made the data available in GTFS, the global standard used by trip planning apps like Google Maps. For the first time, Nairobi’s transit system became searchable and understandable not just to urban planners, but to everyday commuters. “Getting that map into Google was powerful, as it gave access to anyone with a smartphone” according to Williams.
“We didn’t just want a map,” explains Williams. “We wanted data that anyone could build with—apps, plans, civic tools.”
THE POWER OF THE MAP
Still, it wasn’t until the data was visualized that its true power became clear. The Digital Matatus team designed a stylized map using the design language of traditional subway systems—color-coded lines, clear junctions, and popular landmarks. Each matatu route was placed alongside others, grouped into recognizable corridors.
“The raw GPS points were just noise,” Williams explains. “The map brought order—and helped people see the system as a system.” And with visibility came impact.
In stakeholder workshops, matatu drivers, civic tech groups, NGOs, and city officials gathered around the printed maps to argue, analyze, and collaborate. Owners identified routes that had been missed. NGOs flagged service gaps. Government officials began seeing the network as something worth integrating into future plans.
“When the Ministry of Transport saw the map, they claimed it as their own,” Williams said. “They celebrated it at a ceremony where it was presented to the Governor of Nairobi.”
The map was published in newspapers and went viral on social media. Companies like Ma3Route and Google, used the data for services that enable passengers to navigate the system. UN-Habitat and ITDP used the data to help plan Nairobi’s first Bus Rapid Transit lines.
For Waiganjo, the moment the map became public was also a moment of pride for what matatus represent. “They’re part of our culture,” he said.
A MAP THAT SPARKED A MOVEMENT
But Digital Matatus wasn’t just a technical breakthrough—it was a civic one. “We built a community around the data,” said Jacqueline Klopp. The team held workshops with drivers, conductors, planners, and the public. They printed colorful versions of the maps. They engaged the Kenya Alliance of Resident Associations and worked with Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis, the government’s public policy institute. The response was overwhelming.
Perhaps most powerful was the impact the project had beyond Nairobi. “We had a steady stream of emails for years,” said Adam White. “Cities from all over the world wanted to do something similar.” Digital Matatus became a catalyst for a global movement to map popular transport—from Cairo and Accra to Manila and Bogotá, supporting other cities by creating an online resource center, DigitalTransport4Africa and helping seed the work of TransportforCairo through the DigitalCairo project and traveling to Egypt for exchanges and support.
A LEGACY OF OPEN CIVIC DATA FOR POPULAR TRANSPORT
The impact of Digital Matatus rippled far beyond Nairobi. It became a blueprint for similar projects around the world—from Accra to Cairo to Dhaka.
And the model keeps evolving including through conversations with other mapping groups. To update the map, in 2019, the team used focus groups with riders and drivers instead of re-riding every route. New features, like estimated frequencies, have been layered in. And the data remains open—free for anyone -developers, researchers, government, policymakers, operators and transit advocates to use to provide services and support improvements for people.
“Big data won’t transform cities unless it’s made usable by civic actors,” Williams asserts. “Maps help do that. They expose patterns, spark debate, and invite change.”
Still, it wasn’t until the data was visualized that its true power became clear. The Digital Matatus team designed a stylized map using the design language of traditional subway systems—color-coded lines, clear junctions, and popular landmarks. Each matatu route was placed alongside others, grouped into recognizable corridors.
“The raw GPS points were just noise,” Williams explains. “The map brought order—and helped people see the system as a system.” And with visibility came impact.
In stakeholder workshops, matatu drivers, civic tech groups, NGOs, and city officials gathered around the printed maps to argue, analyze, and collaborate. Owners identified routes that had been missed. NGOs flagged service gaps. Government officials began seeing the network as something worth integrating into future plans.
“When the Ministry of Transport saw the map, they claimed it as their own,” Williams said. “They celebrated it at a ceremony where it was presented to the Governor of Nairobi.”
The map was published in newspapers and went viral on social media. Companies like Ma3Route and Google, used the data for services that enable passengers to navigate the system. UN-Habitat and ITDP used the data to help plan Nairobi’s first Bus Rapid Transit lines.
For Waiganjo, the moment the map became public was also a moment of pride for what matatus represent. “They’re part of our culture,” he said.
A MAP THAT SPARKED A MOVEMENT
But Digital Matatus wasn’t just a technical breakthrough—it was a civic one. “We built a community around the data,” said Jacqueline Klopp. The team held workshops with drivers, conductors, planners, and the public. They printed colorful versions of the maps. They engaged the Kenya Alliance of Resident Associations and worked with Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis, the government’s public policy institute. The response was overwhelming.
Perhaps most powerful was the impact the project had beyond Nairobi. “We had a steady stream of emails for years,” said Adam White. “Cities from all over the world wanted to do something similar.” Digital Matatus became a catalyst for a global movement to map popular transport—from Cairo and Accra to Manila and Bogotá, supporting other cities by creating an online resource center, DigitalTransport4Africa and helping seed the work of TransportforCairo through the DigitalCairo project and traveling to Egypt for exchanges and support.
A LEGACY OF OPEN CIVIC DATA FOR POPULAR TRANSPORT
The impact of Digital Matatus rippled far beyond Nairobi. It became a blueprint for similar projects around the world—from Accra to Cairo to Dhaka.
And the model keeps evolving including through conversations with other mapping groups. To update the map, in 2019, the team used focus groups with riders and drivers instead of re-riding every route. New features, like estimated frequencies, have been layered in. And the data remains open—free for anyone -developers, researchers, government, policymakers, operators and transit advocates to use to provide services and support improvements for people.
“Big data won’t transform cities unless it’s made usable by civic actors,” Williams asserts. “Maps help do that. They expose patterns, spark debate, and invite change.”