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Yearly Archives: 2020
The problem with public transport in the Philippines…
There is a collage of two photos, one taken in 1975 and another in 2019, showing buses that managed to squeeze themselves into a jam. The 1975 photo was taken at the ramp of the overpass near Liwasang Bonifacio (Quiapo, Manila). There is a commentary describing the photo that attributes ‘monstrous daily traffic jams’ to the behavior of Filipino drivers. Special mention was made of public transport drivers and the photo showed proof of this. This was 1975 and motorization had not reached the levels we are at now so the arguably, traffic congestion was not as bad as the present we experience daily.
The problems pertaining to driver behavior persist today and probably even worsened along with the general conditions of traffic in Philippine roads. I say so since the volume of vehicular traffic has increased significantly from 1975 to the present and there are much more interactions among vehicles and people that have led to a deterioration of road safety as well. Traffic congestion and road crashes are asymptomatic of the root causes of most of our transport problems. And so far, it seems we have had little headway into the solutions. The photos speak for themselves in terms of how many people can easily put the blame on poor public transport services despite the fact that cars are hogging much of the road space. And what have authorities done in order to address the behavioral issues that lead to these incidents?
Someone joked that the guy in the 1975 photo who appeared to be posing in disbelief of what happened is a time traveler. The 2019 photo shows a similar guy with a similar pose though with more people around. Maybe he can tell us a thing or so about what’s wrong with transportation in the Philippines and provide insights to the solutions to the mess we have.
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New jitneys for the Cubao-Rosario route
The Cubao-Rosario jeepney route is among the older ones in Metro Manila connecting a major commercial center (Cubao) to a growth area (Ortigas Avenue corridor). The route also includes a significant part of C-5 (then called E. Rodriguez Ave.) that now has Megaworld’s Eastwood, Robinsons’ Bridgetown, and another development (joint venture between Ayala and Eton). At the corner of C-5 and Ortigas on the eastbound side is an SM project.
The route is now Cubao – Sta. Lucia (Pasig). This is not to confuse it with another Sta. Lucia, which is in Cainta. The jitneys now terminate and turnaround at the border of Cainta and Pasig between SM East Ortigas and BF Cainta. The jeepneys used to turn around near C. Raymundo and then under the Manggahan Floodway Bridge.
New vehicle but same drivers (behavior and attitude)? A driver returns to his illegally parked vehicle (it’s on the sidewalk) after what looks like him just finished answering the call of nature in the bushes beside the vehicle. Operations are basically the same with the only difference being the vehicles. The same goes with P2P buses driven by the same drivers of ordinary buses.
The old signboards of the jeepneys plying this route included Libis and Murphy, which were the area landmarks for the route. Libis is a Barangay in Quezon City where part of Eastwood is located. Murphy was Camp Murphy, the old name of what is not Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame. It was a single camp during the American Period. There are still jeepneys bearing those signboards and printed at the sides of the vehicles.
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Zamboanga City Integrated Bus Terminal
I open the year by sharing photos of the Zamboanga City Bus Terminal. It is a ‘central’ terminal as most most buses terminate here and cannot proceed to the city center. At the terminal, passengers may transfer between buses, jeepneys and vans.
View of the terminal from the national highway. There are driveways leading to and from the terminal from the highway and one can appreciate the expanse between the facility and the main access road.
There are covered walks connecting the terminal to the national road.
Provincial buses and long-distance vans at the terminal
Provincial bus arriving at the terminal
Jeepneys at the terminal
Motorcycles parked along a shaded area. The lamp’s vintage design seems to be a good accent to the terminal.
Close-up showing the spacious parking area shared by cars, jeepneys, motorcycles and even tricycles
Another look at the covered walkways leading to the national highway. Not all public transport go to the terminal because of the fees and the distance for the diversion from the highway.
Jeepneys waiting to be filled with passengers prior to departure
A look at the front of the terminal shows a wide driveway and the connection of the covered walkway to the main entrance
Another look at the integrated terminal from the highway
We will be evaluating the terminal soon as part of a study we are doing for the city. More photos and some assessments about its features soon!
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Caught (up) in traffic 