Time for the Jeepney to Go?

We need to Breathe, We need to conserve Energy, We need to Reduce Gridlock

Converting the WWII "Eisenhower" type jeeps into a 12 passenger "jeepney" seemed both cute and practical in 1946 and its usefulness lasted thru the mid 1960's. Filipinos were so enamored with the innovation that it soon became a national "symbol", proof that we are indeed a resourceful nation.

As the population grew from 15 million after WWII to some 90 or so million today, jeepneys are no longer practical and have in fact become a hazard both to the environment and the country's energy situation, not to mention being the primary cause of massive gridlock that has made moving around Metro Manila and the cities of Cebu, Cagayan de Oro and Davao a major time consuming exercise.

The math is pretty simple. It will take about 100 or jeepney loads to move the same number of passengers on one 2 car tram. That means one engine consuming gasoline versus 100 jeepney engines which also pump out more pollutants in the air. Needless to say, a well organized, broad based light rail system in the major Philippine cities would result in lower dependence on expensive foreign oil and much cleaner air to breathe. Jeepneys are suffocating our urban populations!! It is literally unsafe to breath “city air”.

The other, perhaps not so subtle, consequence of a “jeepney based” mass transit system is the gridlock it creates all over the metropolitan areas which profoundly contributes to productivity reduction. Sitting in traffic for hours, whether in an air conditioned car or a cramply packed jeepney, renders a person economically unproductive. A sales call that should take an hour could stretch to 4 or 5 hours. The added time commuting to and from work directly reduces the amount of quality time that parents spend with their children and the devastation that is visited on the family structure is perhaps often ignored.

The incoming Aquino III administration needs to make mass transit upheaval a key element in improving the country’s neglected infrastructure. All the great plans of mice and men are for naught if we can’t get to where we’re going in a reasonable enough time. The gridlock must be unwound and addressing the jeepney caused problem is a necessary and critical first step.
I know that the very idea of contemplating the demise of the jeepney as our primary form of daily transportation raises many concerns that are political, economic and cultural.

There are hundreds of thousands of jeepney drivers all over the country and they constitute a major voting bloc hence politicians may be hesitant to displease them. Additionally there are several thousands of entrepreneurs’ who manufacture as well as operate jeepneys and they are a formidable socio-economic force. And, of course, the jeepney has become a potent and sentimental icon that, over time, has been an integral part of Philippine identity.

Yet all these concerns can be effectively addressed to the satisfaction of all parties and stake holders. What is required is a forward looking, creative and innovative approach to adequately meet our mass transit needs now and in the future. Failing to take bold and immediate steps will only exacerbate the present, serious problems that our “jeepney culture” creates.
Briefly, here are a few ideas to consider:

1. As we disengage from a jeepney based operation, begin to retrain our jeepney drivers into other trades; a large segment of them could be trained for various jobs that a new mass transit system will create. This will address the concern over the livelihoods of displaced jeepney drivers.

2. Organize jeepney owners and manufacturers into a pool of investors who will be credited with stock shares in a corporation that will run and operate the mass transit system. Machine shop operations that currently build jeep bodies can be harnessed and retooled to perhaps build some of the bodies of the cars to be used in the mass transit system. This will address the economic concerns of jeepney owners and manufacturers.

3. Do not get rid of the jeepneys completely. Jeepneys can be reconfigured so that these can be used as passenger friendly tourist vehicles plying our centers of attraction and giving foreign visitors a feel for the authentic Philippine experience. Jeepneys can continue to shine as a cultural icon.

4. Create a Mass Transit Authority composed of government and private sector members and one staffed by transportation specialists whose charter will be the complete and massive overhaul of our transportation system; a long term project that will go into the next decade and beyond.

It is doubtless a monumental challenge to transform our mass transit system and overhaul habits we have been used to. Yet the need to reduce both our energy and environmental footprints and to dramatically address our gridlocked traffic system are considerations that must be regarded with utmost seriousness.

We cannot continue wasting energy, suffocating our people and operating our businesses at the low productivity levels caused by traffic gridlock. Bold, courageous, visionary and patient leadership to pull this off is direly needed. And the sooner we take the problems that jeepneys cause seriously, the better. And yes, the tricycle issue also needs to be addressed. They are after all no more than “mini jeepneys”.