Contact
Taxi in Blantyre. One number, and Harry answers it.
Rides across town and transfers to and from Chileka Airport. Tell him where you are going and he quotes the fare before you travel.
Booking is a conversation with one person, not a form. Harry takes work by phone and by WhatsApp on the same number, and he answers it himself between jobs — so if he does not pick up he is almost certainly driving, and a message will reach him at the next stop.
Say what you need and he replies with two things: whether he is free at that time, and what the journey costs. Nothing is charged for asking, and he will tell you straight when a job does not work for him rather than leaving you to find out on the day.
WhatsApp — fastest
Send where you are and where you are going. You get the fare in writing, which suits everybody.
+265 998 112 181
Call
If you need a car now, ring him. He will tell you straight away whether he is free.
+265 998 112 181
Fine for something not urgent. Harry is driving most of the day, so the phone will always be quicker.
harrysamba16@gmail.com
When he works
Call any time — day or night. Early airport runs are normal — message him the night before and he will confirm.
Where he drives
Blantyre town and Chileka International Airport — including Limbe, Chichiri, Ndirande and the surrounding areas. Going further afield? Ask. He will tell you whether it is a trip he can take and what it would cost.
Flying? Book a Chileka airport transfer — or read about Harry, your driver.
Chileka International Airport was officially renamed Bakili Muluzi International Airport. Most people still call it Chileka.
What to tell him when you message
Four lines is enough for Harry to answer with a time and a price on the first reply, which saves the back-and-forth:
- Where he is collecting you from — an address, a hotel or a landmark he will know
- Where you are going, and whether you want him to wait or come back later
- The time and the date — “now” is a perfectly good answer
- How many passengers, and whether there is luggage
Booking now, or booking ahead
For a ride you need in the next few minutes, ring him. He will tell you where he is and how long he needs, or that he is on another job — one car means he cannot always say yes, and you would rather know that in ten seconds than after twenty minutes of waiting.
For anything with a fixed time attached — a flight, a hospital appointment, a morning meeting across town — book it the day before. Nothing is charged for reserving the slot; it simply means the hour is his and he confirms it back to you before the day.
Save the number when you have used him once. The whole point of a named driver is the second call: you are not starting again with a stranger, explaining where you live and hoping the price is the same as last time.
And if he cannot take a job, he says so. He would rather turn one down than accept it, run late for the one before it and leave two people standing — which is the usual way an over-committed driver ruins a morning.
Which one should I use?
Call if you need a car now. Ringing gets you an answer in the time it takes him to say yes or no, and you are not waiting on a message being read at the next set of lights.
WhatsApp for anything planned — tomorrow’s airport run, a booking for the weekend, or when you want the fare in writing. It is also the easier option from outside Malawi, where a call is expensive and a message is not.
Email is fine for something that can wait a day. Harry is driving for most of it, so the phone will always be faster.
Flying in or out? The Chileka airport transfer page lists exactly what to send him, and the home page answers the questions most people ask before they book.