Going over articles I wrote in the past, I saw one about a scenario which I hope is no longer commonplace especially when life returns to some semblance of normal.
To begin, jeepneys are iconic modes of transport here in the Philippines. It's become an attraction on its own, and for the adventurous among travelers, experiencing a ride is a must.
It is the most common mode of transportation, able to carry anywhere from 14 to over 20 passengers to distances near or far. Its advantage over buses, which it was patterned after, is being able to ply even smaller or narrow streets.
See, unlike other countries, Filipinos like being brought to their doorstep instead of some transport depot or terminal and walking the rest of the way. Here, to walk a-ways means you either have no fare money or you're lost.
Jeepneys can be hailed from anywhere and will stop to pick up passengers, crawling if two passengers are 10 meters apart instead of staying put and waiting for the riders to climb aboard in one spot or stop.
Like I said, Filipinos are accustomed to getting off in front of where they have to be, whether it's the gate of their homes, the entrance of a building or establishment, in front of the market... and it is jeepney drivers that are the enablers who do not help in teaching commuters about discipline.
And it is this terrible habit that is also one cause of traffic in many areas, whether in the city or province. Try going to market on a Saturday in one of the busy marketplaces and half the time will be spent negotiating traffic.
Anyway, the article was my experience taking the jeepney to Divisoria, a popular commercial center in the city of Manila where you can find most anything - food, fresh produce, clothing, toys, materials for anything and everything - at very affordable prices, hence its fame.
And because it attracts all sorts of people, it is notorious for being a traffic bottleneck, because there is basically one main road that runs right smack into the center, which jeepneys and other modes of transport ply.
Let me quote my article:
Juan Luna Street, the main road connecting Binondo to the heart of Divisoria, is less than half a kilometer long. But aboard a jeepney, it can take more than 20 minutes before you are able to get out of that short stretch. The traffic is actually not due to the volume of vehicles, rather it is the result of stubborn jeepney drivers notorious for waiting at the street's end to load passengers.
Now on slow days like Sunday, Divisoria is not crawling with patrons because a number of establishments, mostly owned and run by Filipino-Chinese, are closed. It can therefore be an annoying experience to get on a jeepney at 11:00 a.m. and still not be out of Binondo after half-an-hour. But that is not unlikely. In fact, you begin to wonder if walking would have been a better alternative. Unless you are thoroughly loaded with purchases, you would have almost reached Lawton on foot - by then.
I wish I understood the psyche of drivers. It behooves me to think why they would waste diesel (the jeepney is on idle the whole time they are stopped) while hoping passengers would board their vehicle, instead of moving on and picking people up along other streets, where they usually are.
And while they're at it, they banter with the next driver, inch forward then block cars and other private vehicles and generally just pollute the already stench-filled air. In the meantime, passengers who are forced to wait until the driver decides to leave, become impatient and hop out leaving the jeepney emptier than when it started.
And the story does not end there because there was a little action during that wait.
On the day I had to endure this, we passed by some drunk swinging a bolo ( a large cutting tool/knife similar to a machete)! A Good Samaritan attempted to pacify him but he ended up facing the barrel of a gun of a stupid policeman who couldn't get the facts straight. As this unfolded, our jeepney driver was so transfixed with the scene that he stopped the vehicle in front of the gun-wielding cop forgetting that we were in the line of fire! I wanted to grab the bolo and brandish it in his face! Of course, traffic came to a halt because of this unexpected action scene.
When finally all the drivers decide to leave, we've lost a good hour and absorbed the heat and variety of odors of Divisoria. Come to think of it, local businessmen actually recommend that you take the calesa (horse-drawn cart) when in the area. It gets you where you want to go faster although for a bit more than the usual.
Can you imagine that ordeal? And all because we wanted to try bargain shopping. After than experience, I think I rarely went back to Divisoria, or if I did, it was with a vehicle and driver. While the parking spaces are pretty far, they were located in streets not plied by jeepneys. A few years after, I stopped going there altogether, never mind the bargains and cheap prices.
One of the most affected during the pandemic were jeepney drivers. With the extended lockdowns, they were prohibited from traveling primarily because their configuration was not ideal to protect passengers from possible infection of the virus.
It was months and months of being sidelined from plying their routes that broke most of this sector. And even when they were eventually allowed to travel, a number of drivers already lost their vehicles, after being forced to sell these to survive during the government-imposed quarantine.
I do wish there could be an overhaul of jeepney riding discipline. That means both the driver and commuters have to be educated. Jeepneys cannot be stuffed with passengers like they used to be, so much so that the last passengers to come aboard hardly have space to squeeze in their butts, much less sit comfortably.
Pre-pandemic, the number of jeepneys plying the streets were in the thousands and they were a serious cause of traffic because they took up space on the roads but only carried a limited number of passengers, unlike buses or trains.
They were actually running the same routes as buses, which was illogical. They could be useful for smaller or side streets and ferry passengers to main bus or train terminals, but not compete with bigger, more efficient modes of transport in main thoroughfares.
Yes, jeepneys are ubiquitous and they are unique to this country. But to remain relevant and provide decent income for drivers, they have to implement a more efficient and comfortable system of operating.
For now, let me get off the jeepney. I'd rather walk, or drive.
Images from Unsplash
I have heard about these jeepneys before, never seen one tho we don't have it in Italy! We have taxi, but they are expensive and can carry 3/4 people maximum. Could be for sure a great alternative to public transport tho, but obviously needs regulations and rules to follow. They seem more an additional problem to the already congested traffic!