The current public transportation dilemma

While following a sort of a “modernized jeepney” one day, I tried computing its passenger-carrying capacity. It seems no matter how I calculate it, it came out not so much different from the original regular capacity of the old jeepneys. The problem now is that they have varied sizes and appearances --some look like small mini-buses already. But not quite. If there are no longer any standard public transportation “denominations”, we may have difficulty addressing future demand.

Oftentimes, we think of PT (public transport/transportation) capacities in terms of the number of passengers it can carry at full load (not overloaded). But real capacity is measured by the total number of people it can carry over a period of time. A vehicle carrying 15 passengers every 15 minutes has a different capacity than one carrying 20 pax in 15 min. The two are also different from another carrying 15 passengers every 20 min. Capacity is almost always counted in “PPHPD” (Passengers Per Hour Per Direction) the last description to ensure everybody understands it's for one direction only.

The modernized jeepney is relatively larger than the regular traditional jeepney for the many enhancements, of course, foremost of which is the more comfortable seating as compared to the lengthwise lateral arrangement with pax facing each other. Forward-facing, “individualized” seats are more comfortable of course, but which may also require more space per passenger. All for the better, of course, for the riding public, but how does this improve overall mobility of a route or of the city? That’s another analysis transport managers have to assess.

As I have elsewhere said, lane-carrying capacity should be seriously studied. One can always choose how to measure lane capacity, almost always with one’s personal consideration as a guiding factor, but for urban mobility assessment, they have to be inter-comparable regardless of the mode. That’s why you see a lot of graphs or diagrams which compare “PPHPD”, even though the term is relatively strange to most. PPHPD, in black and white, measures and compares the carrying-capacity of almost all public transport denominations, which can be directly and automatically translated to economic benefits.

So, when we migrated from the traditional jeepneys to the “modernized” ones, what were the changes in carrying capacities? It would be difficult to estimate this without hard data, but the government agencies directly involved, and those affiliated ones would know the numbers. Have we increased PT capacities? Or have we degraded them. Again, this does not just depend on vehicle capacities but more so with route and lane capacities. And this has to be taken with the reality that ALL transport modes generally increase in demand over time. The move towards modernized PUJ’s were made mainly in the pursuit of environmental climate-related goals but these have to consider basic supply and demand too, which, on another aspect, have to face the reality of the need for higher capacity PTs.

At the end of the day, exclusive lanes would have to be resorted to. Whether we like it or not, modernized jeepneys are transitory to higher modes like the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) which is making its debut here. The sooner transport managers realize this, the better.

The Philippine government recently launched a new campaign with the hopes of alleviating our dire situation. Dubbed as “Bagong Pilipinas” or “New Philippines” in English, it is reminiscent of the president’s campaign during the 2022 elections. He often played a catchy song that called for a new Philippines with a new face. Even the children on the streets know the song very well. However, instead of the campaign uniting the different factions in our political realm, it seems to have divided it.

Another political faction has risen just after two years into the current administration. This was done all with the ambition to take over the reins of Malacañang Palace. Although this is part of a democracy, it seems like it is doing more harm than good. Rather than unifying the country’s dreams and ambitions, Filipinos are now at a limbo on who to support. This, even if the national elections are still far away. It is another marketing strategy for their own candidates.

There are also other issues that our leaders need to address. The very pressing one is the state of our economy. Recently, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported on the inflation rate of our region. Even if they recorded a slight slowdown, the prices of basic commodities continue to rise. Meanwhile, the basic wage remains to be rather meager for an ordinary family to survive. The prices of fuel also continue to hinder the prices from going down. The value of a peso continues to diminish.

This is also why there are still thousands of Filipinos who want to try their luck in other countries. Two of my best friends found financial stability in their work outside the Philippines. They said they would not be able to reach their goals if they stayed here. To them, Cebu is just a vacation haven where they can eat their favorite childhood food, visit the places where they grew up in, and enjoy cheap services.

New Philippines

We have simply become a second option.

Living for over 30 years here, I am also curious of what this New Philippines can offer to us. As it is now, I am also feeling the effects of poor governance as it continues to test our patience. Let alone for some agencies that are actually doing their jobs, I find no satisfaction in the way things are being done. The leadership is directionless and we are left in the dark.

As the remaining four years of this administration trickle in, we are bound to look forward to this reform that they are trying to implement. Until there is visible change as they promised, we will never be satisfied with the way they are managing our country. It won’t be long until there will be more individuals fleeing the Philippines as a sweet escape. We will continue to lose more than what we have now and we will never be a country to look up to. If we want a new country, then one’s political will must be strong.