On a recent visit to the Philippines, I found myself gawking at two iconic modes of (public) transportation, the tricycle and the jeepney. They remain major sources of gridlock, chaos, and pollution, and many local residents would love to see them banned from the streets of Metro Manila. I doubt that will happen anytime soon, as they remain a cheap mode of public transportation, for a city lacking alternatives – save for a train system that doesn’t really cover large swaths of the metropolis. (For a good overview of traffic in Metro Manila, see this recent Economist article.)
Tricycles
The passenger seat on #Manila Tricycles seem to have gotten lower pic.twitter.com/xlFU8TtWR9
— Ben Lorica (@bigdata) February 15, 2016
Here’s another set of tricycles in Quezon City pic.twitter.com/kdshy6448F
— Ben Lorica (@bigdata) February 15, 2016
Tricycle with FIVE passengers, and kids hanging off a Jeepney – #manila pic.twitter.com/aCVITDcV1m
— Ben Lorica (@bigdata) February 17, 2016
Hanging on to Jeepneys in the manner above, is technically illegal (citation + fine) but it doesn’t seem to deter passengers much. Apparently people indulge in an even riskier practice with tricycles (also illegal). The photos below were taken while I was an Uber passenger in cars trailing these tricycles:
While most tricycles are motorized, many in the Intramuros and “Old Manila” area were pedal powered:
Jeepney (“the king of the road”)
The Jeepney as a “school bus”:
Packed Jeepney, and it’s not even rush hour:
