Philippines’ flashy jeepneys face end of the road, but drivers say not so fast
The government wants the brightly painted, smoke-belching vehicles replaced with safer and greener transport, but defiant operators of the cheap taxis are protesting the move discriminates against the poor
Jeepneys, the flamboyant passenger trucks of the Philippines, are nearing the end of their reign as the “Kings of the Road”, but they’re not going down without a fight.
Government moves to overhaul outdated public transport, making it safer and more environmentally friendly, will put the brakes on a mode of travel that has long been the surest and cheapest option in a country of 105 million people.
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But the operators and drivers of the 200,000 jeepneys that have plied the nation’s roads and motorways for decades are defiant, denouncing moves to oust them as “anti-poor” and a threat to their livelihoods.
“It is a big hassle to us poor people since we are the ones suffering,” said one jeepney driver, upset after traffic police pulled him over because his vehicle was belching black smoke.
Jeepneys evolved from surplus army jeeps left behind by the US military after the second world war to become brightly painted vehicles festooned with religious slogans, horoscope signs or family names.
Costing 8 pesos (HK$1.22) for a journey of 4km in Manila, the capital, they are easily affordable, but the ride is far from comfortable.