Jeepneys – the end of an era

Are we seeing the end of an era for jeepneys? Hopefully not! Most of us, especially the “senior” ones grew up with it. It has become an iconic symbol in our country’s streets that distinctively assures us we’re home whenever we arrive from abroad. I guess there are many of the similar kind in many other countries that serve as the standard basic public utility vehicle for the masses, but our jeepney is uniquely Filipino, nothing else comes close to it.

It has survived all these years in spite of the leaps and bounds that the motor industry evolved over the decades, specifically from World War II. The jeepneys started when US military jeeps left over from the war were modified for public transport use and which became the template for their design. Even the term “jeepney” evolved from “jitney”, a term used in the United States to describe small buses or vans used for public transportation. They were always there, in our cities and the countryside all these years.

In bigger cities and the countryside, the buses eventually took over, especially over longer distances and more numerous passengers. But the jeepneys continued to exist, together with their iconic design --rear-loading with parallel center-facing seats. To maximize seating capacity, sometimes a bench or two are added in the center for four more passengers … well, maybe not anymore in the cities but the practice still persists in the countryside. Not to mention more passengers hanging at the back and sometimes even on the roof!

Jeepneys are iconic --when you see one, even if it’s just a table decoration at home or even as a toy, you’d recognize it as Filipino. The only one I can see as “similar” is the “Song’tiao” in Thailand but even that is distinctively different. Same with those in other Asian countries --similar but different. The jeepney is Filipino and is a part of every Filipino. Well, I guess it does need to change and respond to the needs of the times.

In 2017, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) started the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP), formerly and still commonly referred to as the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP), which intended to make the country's public transportation system efficient and environmentally-friendly by 2020. It called for the phasing-out of jeepneys, among others, that are at least 15 years old and replacing them with safer, more comfortable, and more environmentally-friendly alternatives.

The only part that I didn’t fully agree with was keeping the “capacity” to almost the same or a little higher. Since we were already changing public transport “denominations”, we should have moved towards higher capacities, like that of minibuses. Congestion is our main problem here, and higher moving capacities are the solution. That’s why the Bus Rapid transit (BRT) is the best option – extremely high capacities, dedicated lanes, fixed times, and services which are consistent, timely, and dependable. But the “jeepney” denomination is still needed.