Thought I’d drop in another post on how to get around in the Philippines … the ubiquitous Jeepney. The Jeepney earned its name at the end of World War II when the overwhelming demand for transportation caused by the twin factors of the relief from Japanese occupation and the Philippines budding drive for Independence was met in part by enterprising Filipinos tacking long, passenger-carrying bodies onto the chassis of readily available surplus US Jeeps.
Today there is precious little “Jeep” involved with the Jeepney, but it remains both a blessing and a curse to the Philippines. A blessing because it can be made cheaply from home-made body manufacturing plants and easily available salvage Japanese truck chassis, it requires no special equipment … the driver’s pocket is typically the cash register and fare box … and it is small enough to be economical on even low-traffic routes. A curse because it’s 50 year-old technology, open to the weather, and most Jeepney business plans are just catch as catch can … very hard to build any sort of comprehensive transportation plan when so much of the infrastructure is privately owned and nearly un-managed.
Anyway, blessing or curse, the Jeepney is here to stay in the Philippines. If you’re on a Jeepney route or heading somewhere that is they are a quick, cheap way to get around. Most Jeepneys travel regular routes, typically along main streets or highways. The Jeepney is often an assault on the visual se
nse, but if you look close you’ll see above or below the windshield and usually along the side as well the end points of the route. There are “Jeepney Terminals” in some areas, such as at the major malls, but aside from that there is no formal “stop” structure such as you may be used to from US or European bus lines. You can get on a jeepney anywhere the driver will stop for you and get off any time you wish (usually the best term to use is a loudly-voiced “para” … Spanish for “stop” and used almost universally in the Philippines.
Fares are typically 10 to 15 pesos … often tightly regulated by the local municipalities and you typically pay by passing the money forward via fellow passengers to the driver’s assistant … your change will be passed back to you via the same route.
A little bit of Filipino culture you can store away for future reference .. if you’re on a Jeepney and you see a neighbor or some other acquaintance get on it is standard practice to pay for their fare without even asking. May sound strange to an American but it could be the best local “PR” 10 pesos you ever spent.
Happy riding.
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