King of the road: Taking a look at the history of jeepneys in the Philippines
Jeepneys in the Philippines are considered to be the King of the Road. They are the backbone of public transportation in many major cities. Deeming popular among Filipinos for its convenience and low fare rates.
They’re famously known for their vibrant, loud colours. The sides of jeepneys can portray anything from religious icons, TV and movie characters, NBA teams and players, beautiful scenery, word art or family members.
The name jeepney is said to be a combination of the words jeep and jitney, according to an article from Adobo Magazine. Jeep being the military-styled vehicles similar to the ones we often see on the roads today, while jitney is a term used for a vehicle that carries passengers for a low fare. A more creative explanation of where the name jeepney came from was explained during History Con on a HISTORY Asia YouTube video. Tour guide Henrie Enaje explains that jeep came from the American car and knee came from the experience of passengers riding the vehicle since their knees were hitting each other during the ride.
The jeepney started appearing on the streets of Manila in the 1950s after World War II ruined the country’s transportation infrastructure.
After the War, Americans left a surplus of jeeps and military vehicles behind. Filipinos bought these cars in bulk and converted them into a means of transport that could drive multiple passengers.
Similar to how Filipinos took American canned goods and revamped them into something that satisfied tastebuds, Filipinos also Philippinized the jeep. They took useless, leftover scraps and turned them into something that could be used.
“Filipinos lengthened the American vehicle to accommodate more passengers, and attached a roof to protect them from the scorching Philippine heat,” an article from the Culture Trip says. “The seats were removed and replaced with two benches that stretched lengthwise on either side, allowing more seating space, and leaving a narrow space down the middle for an aisle.”
Sarao Motors was one of the first jeepney producers in the Philippines. They started making the vehicles in 1953 and made their mark by outputting quality jeepneys. The company was also instrumental in making jeepneys a Filipino symbol by shipping their vehicles overseas to be displayed in exhibitions in cities like London and New York.
When Pope John Paul II visited the Philippines in 1981, he waved to the crowds from a Sarao jeepney that was specially made for the occasion, a BBC article says.
At the height of Sarao Motors’ popularity, they were producing 200–300 jeepneys a year, according to a Car and Driver article. Today, they’re only making about 40 jeepneys a year. BBC says the company was never able to fully recover after the Asian financial crisis in 1997.
Today, jeepneys are incredibly popular in the Philippines for their convenience and low cost. According to a CNN article from 2017, a Jeepney ride cost about ₱8 ($0.16) a ride, compared to ₱12 for a bus ride or ₱15 to catch the train. Jeepneys will also stop anywhere along their route to pick up or drop off passengers.
Despite the jeepney’s popularity, the vehicle faces an uncertain future as it has been criticized for a number of issues.
“These vehicles are powered by old diesel engines and many of them even lack the basic filtration systems to purify exhaust fumes from burning dirty diesel fuel,” Adobo Magazine says.
“Their safety has also been called into question because of their lack of seatbelts and use of scavenged parts that may cause malfunctions,” an Esquire Magazine article says.
According to a CNN article from December, plans to modernize public utility jeepneys (also known as public utility vehicles) became more concrete in 2017 when the Department of Transportation issued its “Omnibus Guidelines on the Planning and Identification of Public Road Transportation Services and Franchise Issuance.”
CNN lays out some of the requirements from the guideline:
- Jeepney drivers must go through continuing driver education
- Jeepney drivers must have a fixed salary and benefits instead of their compensation being linked to ridership
- Jeepneys shall serve routes with passenger demand of 1,000 pphpd (passengers per hour per direction)
- Jeepney routes will link people to mass transit lines and bus routes, but be restricted in EDSA and other national highways
- Jeepneys shall comply with body make requirements, including compliance with certain emission standards
- Jeepneys should also include features such as a global navigation satellite system receiver, automatic fare collection systems, free wifi, video surveillance, speed limiters, dashboard cameras, among others
“For jeepneys, this meant, first, that new franchises shall be issued only to entities that represent consolidated franchises, either an accredited cooperative or a corporation which operates 15 units or more. (Thus, a singular jeepney owner cannot apply for his own franchise.) Second, traditional jeepneys shall be replaced with new vehicles with a body make that abides by [Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board] guidelines (which, to the naked eye, make the jeeps look more like minibuses). The cost of this new vehicle varies, but they cost at least ₱1.6 million and above. (In contrast, a jeepney may cost as low as ₱100,000.),” CNN says.
PUVs were given three years to transition, but because of the pandemic, the transition was extended to the end of last year.
According to CNN, the LTFRB says 21,264 traditional PUVs have been able to join the modernization program as of October 2020, but about 52,116 units have still yet to comply with the requirements to join. still haven’t complied with
“Aside from the issue of organizing and consolidating jeepney drivers, operators, and units under registered cooperatives, the most painful impact — at least for drivers interviewed for this article — of the modernization plan is the cost of the new vehicle,” CNN says. “A modernization plan that fails to persuade (and may not have been properly explained by the government) may eventually lead to displacement and exclusion of jeepney drivers who feel that modernization — at least, this version — is anti-poor.”
References
- Arts & Culture: A Look into the History of Jeepneys — the Fragile Kings of the Philippine Roads. Adobo Magazine , 28 Nov. 2019.
- Bueno, Anna. The Modernization Plan Is Changing Jeepney Drivers’ Lives Forever. CNN, 11 Dec. 2020.
- Escalona, Katrina. How the Jeepney Became a Filipino National Symbol. The Culture Trip, 11 Sept. 2017.
- Guzman, Nicai de. How Jeepneys in the Philippines Changed from War Transport to Cultural Icon. Esquire Philippines, 15 May 2019.
- Meiners, Jens. The History of the Jeepney, the Philippines’ Mass-Transit Solution. Car and Driver, 23 Dec. 2016.
- Nebrija, Julia. Philippines’ Brightly Decorated Jeepneys Face an Uncertain Future. CNN, 12 Nov. 2017.
- “Origin of Jeepneys Revealed | History Con.” HISTORY Asia, 6 Feb. 2017.
- Syed, Saira. End of the Road for Jeepneys in the Philippines? BBC, 29 July 2013.
