Sometimes the easiest way to get somewhere is on the back of a bike.

More and more people are using cars in many places in Africa today. However, things are different in Malawi(马拉维). Bikes are the most popular in this African country.

Bike riding is a way of life in Malawi. People use them to carry heavy things. They also use bikes to carry people, especially tourists. These years, taking a “bicycle taxi” to travel around Malawi has become quite popular among tourists from all over the world.

If you go to Malawi, you will find a lot of bike taxis waiting on the sides of the roads. The riders make the bikes comfortable for passengers to sit on. You can jump on a bike taxi and get around at a very low cost.

Alice is a 21-year-old student from Canada. She enjoys the special bike riding a lot. “I really like the bike taxi,” she says. “It’s easy and cheap.” Alice usually pays just $1 for going shopping in town.

28-year-old Panjira Khombe began to ride a bike taxi two years ago. The young man enjoys this job. “I used to make boats for a living, but that’s a hard job. Being a bike taxi rider is easy for me and I don’t mind carrying heavy people,” he says.

Look at the bus. It’s a little different from other buses. It’s black and white, and has two black “ears” on the top, just like a giant panda. The lights of the bus are its “eyes”. This is the popular Panda Bus in China. The bus is 12 meters long and there are 23 seats on it.

The Panda Bus is popular not just because of its cute looks. You can also find something cool when you get on it. First of all, it’s very easy for people to buy tickets. They don’t need to use their phones or bus cards like before. All they need are their hands. They can buy tickets just by scanning（扫描）their hands. In this way, people can also buy drinks and food on the bus. There is a vending machine（自动贩卖机）in the middle of the bus. Another surprise is the small computer on the back of each seat. People can choose to watch a movie on the way. How interesting! There are also some cameras on the bus. If someone steals（偷）things, these cameras will catch them. So, it’s safe and comfortable for people to take the bus. Most importantly, the bus is driverless（无人驾驶的）. It can stop at lights and park at the stop all by itself. It only needs someone to watch all the way just in case. And it usually runs a little slower than other buses.

By the end of 2021, there had been over ten cities in China having the Panda Bus, such as Tianjin, Shanghai and Jinan. Would you like to take such a bus to go to school?

Most of us like traveling (旅行). It’s very relaxing. I usually travel with my family every summer. Many people like to travel by plane, but I don’t like it, because the airport is usually far from the city. We have to get there early and wait for hours for the plane to take off and it is often late. People can’t open the window or choose (选择) what they want to eat. Planes are fast (快的), but it takes hours to get from the airport to the city.

I like traveling by train. I think it’s safe (安全的) and comfortable. Railway stations are usually in cities. When I’m late for a train, I can take another one. I can walk around in the train and open the window. I can see many interesting things on the way, but it also takes a little more time.

I also like traveling by car. I can start my journey when I want to, and I don’t need to go to a railway station or an airport. I can take many things with me in a car, but sometimes there are too many cars on the road. But as the saying goes, “You can’t have everything in life.”