The Nelson Family Indonesia

One of the most distinctive memories I have from my first visit to the Philippines back in March is the Jeepneys. Most countries in Southeast Asia have a form of traditional transportation in addition to more modern taxis and buses. In Medan where we live it’s the becok, a motorcycle or bicycle-powered transport for either supplies or people. In Vietnam it’s the cyclo, a similar concept. In Phnom Penh it’s the tuk tuk. But here in the Philippines, it’s the Jeepney.

Jeepneys are brightly colored, personalized modes of transportation. Covered but open air, they ferry people around town, fitting ten or more (sometimes hanging off the back) for far cheaper than a taxi or probably even a more modern bus, if those exist.

When I visited in March there was great turmoil because the Filipino government recently decided they would get rid of Jeepneys by the end of the year as part of a modernization effort as well as try and get rid of major contributors to air pollution (as most of these vehicles seem to have little to no emissions control!). Filipinos were up in arms about this and a general Jeepney strike was called. Jeepneys are a critical piece of the transportation solution, particularly in big cities. They provide inexpensive transportation options as well as livelihood to the drivers. Eliminating them without having an alternative means of moving people around inexpensively could cause great hardship.

The decision to eliminate Jeepneys appears to have been withdrawn, perhaps in favor of programs to ensure they are up to date (whatever that means!). It remains a goal of mine to ride one of these, the only problem being figuring out where they go exactly is somewhat of a challenge. Destinations are painted on the sides, but since I’m not a local I don’t know most of the destination names. However, one of these days I’m just going to get on one and see where it goes and what it’s like!