Public Transportation is a wonderful gift for people who are not affluent enough to own a vehicle. It also provides a means for people to travel from place to place in exchange of small amounts of money. Also, it provides stable jobs for drivers and such. In the Philippines, Public Transportation plays a big role in the daily life of the citizens. As what was previously said a while ago, not all are fortunate and capable of having their own car so Public Transportation is a must.
The first and definitely the smallest type of Public Transportation we have is the tricycle. Tricycle, as the name suggests, is a three-wheeled vehicle mainly composed of a motorcycle and an attached side car. Tricycle can support 4 passengers - 5 if the driver or passenger deems it possible – in addition to the driver. The fare for the tricycle ranges from P8.00 – P15.00 depending on the distance. Tricycle circulates in streets, compounds and every road except highway. Tricycle is also rentable, or as we call it: “special trip”, where you can decide where to go- well, except for far places and highways and everywhere the tricycle cannot go- at the price of P40.00 and up. Tricycle drivers are all about speed, given their size; they know how to sneak in narrow spaces just to reach their destination faster.
The next type of Public Transportation is the Jeepney. Jeepney, or commonly referred to as jeep, is a four-wheeled vehicle that is capable of accommodating at least 18 passengers up to 26 passengers depending on how long the vehicle is. Jeeps are abundant in most roads. It travels farther than the tricycle and is not limited on which road it can venture to. The fare: range from the minimum- which is currently P7.50- and can go higher than P20.00, again, depending on the distance. The passengers of the vehicle sit facing each other, seated in 2 long parallel seats. An average jeep can hold 9 passengers on each side. But people don’t have the same butt size so a jeep filled with 18 passengers can be quite crowded. Not to mention the occasional “sabit”, who out of desperation, choose to hang on by the entrance of the vehicle- all seats are taken- just so they can reach their destination on time.
The biggest and probably the land transportation vehicle than go farthest is the bus. Bus is also a four-wheeled vehicle- only bigger- that can accommodate up to 50 passengers. Bus can travel from region to region, and is a very important transportation when going to provinces, as it can travel for a day or two. The fare starts at P10.00 and can go on and on, again, depending on the distance. As bus is one of the best options to pick when going all around the metro, it is a naturally occurrence that passengers struggle to ride a bus, even if it means you remain standing half the way-or for the less lucky passengers- all the way to your destination.
MRT and LRT are our two railway transportation modes. There’s no exact amount of passengers that is regulated in MRT and LRT, only when it is on full load that indicates the trains have enough passengers for the trip. The fare is at least P20.00, depending on your destination. MRT and LRT are fast, so fast that you can reach your destination within half an hour when it will take you at least an hour had you taken the bus. But beware! MRT and LRTs are prone to malfunctions and engine failure. I’m not saying that it always happens, but there are times that “shit happens” and you’ll be stuck in the station waiting for another train. Also, MRT and LRT have limited seats, so most of the time you’ll experience standing. But don’t fret; if somehow you succeeded the hectic standing ovation ride in the bus, then you’ll likely survive the train, as it moves smoother than any other vehicle. May I add that you’ll be totally squished by other passengers that you won’t have to worry of swaying as the train move.
The taxi is not anything like the above mention types of transportation. Taxi is like your personal car, you decide where to go and how you want to get there. The fare is also not like any of the other transportation, as it is metered in the taxi. You start at P40.00 and slowly it will increase as you go on. The downside of it, it is not easy to grab a taxi that will agree to your destinations. Some refuse because the area may not be favorable for them or some just out rightly don’t want to take you. But I’m sure luck will find you and you’ll be able to survive the onslaught of taxi hunting.
That wraps up all the land transportation you will encounter here in the Philippines. Here are a few pointers that I hope will help you in the near future.
First: avoid displaying any flashy and definitely expensive things while travelling. Also it is helpful if you keep it tuck in safe inside your bag or something when you travel because there are some lazy ass people that couldn’t work their butt off to earn some decent cash.
Second: make it a habit to ask how much is the fare so you won’t be fooled by some drivers who intentionally forgets to give change. Also always ask if the vehicle you’re riding in will pass by your destination. Some who are not familiar with roads and places have high chances of getting lost, and getting lost is awful and quite dangerous.
Third: always allot enough time for travel, considering uncontrolled factors like traffic-and some occasional Jeepney drivers that seems to drive like they’re on leisure walk-. As traffic and such is a natural occurrence in our country.
Fourth: ALWAYS. REMEMBER. RUSH HOUR. Rush hours are always pain in the neck, and in the feet. Rush hour is from 7:00 am – 9:00 am and again at 5:00 pm-9:00 pm. Rush hour is when everyone is going to their work places and when they are going home, thus producing a large number of passengers and fewer vehicles. When you got caught in the rush hour, there are two things that you’ll likely end up to. First: You will be completely and devastating squished in the bus and the MRTs and LRTs that you won’t even be able to scratch your nose when it decides to be itchy. And you wouldn’t want that because at that moment, you will be prone to snatchers, not to mention the awful feeling of being sandwiched. And second: Where you fell unlucky and be one of those that wasn’t able to fight for a place inside a vehicle and got stranded on the sidewalk waiting for another-surely- passenger-filled vehicle or give up and try to wait the end of rush hour or be daring and walk your way home. Either two predicaments are not inviting, so at least try to evade rush hour whenever possible.
These are what you need to remember when you want to commute in the Philippines. Be safe!