Here to stay?
The jeepney was a stopgap solution to address the decimation of the country’s public transportation during World War II. During the American period, Manila was served by calesas, taxis, autobuses, caretelas, autocalesa and the tranvia, or the tram. Cebu had taxis and buses but, according to my late grandmother, the most popular mode of transportation, for the hoi polloi that is, was the tartanilla.
The Philippine Railway Company operated a train that ran from Danao in the north to Argao in the south.
Incidentally, the same railway company blocked moves to establish an electric tramway in Cebu City in the early 1900s. (I read this from a research paper conducted by a Japanese and I can’t remember the link, so I apologize for not making any attribution.)
But things weren’t smooth sailing for the railway in Cebu. By the 1930s, it was facing stiff competition from bus companies.
In an issue that came out on Sept. 11, 1994, SunStar Daily reckoned that the “native style of traveling killed the railroad.” “Bus rides did not only cost less, they were more congenial to the habit of local travelers. Slower and more roundabout, with frequent stops,” the article said.
This information is very telling and might explain why the jeepney, despite its many inadequacies, has lasted so long.
Until now, some passengers expect the jeepney to immediately stop once hailed and it must do so in front of them. The same thing can be said when they want to get off. They make that weird sound with their puckered lips, knock on the ceiling or yell out “lugar lang” and expect the driver to stop, right there and then, even if the vehicle is in the middle of the road.
But don’t get me wrong. Passengers put up with a lot of bull caca in exchange for this privilege.
First, I don’t think they’re insured. That means, if the jeepney gets into an accident, it’s every man, woman and child for himself or herself when it comes to shouldering hospital bills.
Second, there’s no such thing as a jeepney timetable. If you’re in a hurry, grab a cab—although with the traffic, you’re better off taking the jeep—because the jeepney will only run when its driver decides he has enough passengers crammed inside.
Jeepneys are also no place for claustrophobics. The driver, or the conductor, will insist that each side seats 12, or whatever, not taking into account the different toosh sizes.
Finally, when its hot and humid outside, the temperature inside is magnified.
But hey, as the SunStar article pointed out, locals prefer a mode of transportation that is not only cheap, but is also “slower and more round-about, with frequent stops.”