Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Routes
are painted on the side or on a signboard
in the window. Even so, using jeepneys takes a little
local knowledge because they make numerous
stops and deviations to drop off and pick up
passengers. There's no such thing as a designated
jeepney stop, so people wait in the shade at the
side of the road and flag one down. The vehicles are
cramped and incredibly uncomfortable, usually
holding about twenty passengers inside and any
number of extras clinging to the back or sitting
precariously on top. It can be a hassle to get
luggage on and off - small items might end up on
the floor, but larger items will go on the roof.
Jeepneys are, however, a great social lubricator;
you'll soon find yourself involved in jolly conversa-
tions with the rest of the passengers about your
nationality, destination and marital status.
Fares
are low: in the provinces they start at P7 for
a trip of a few kilometres, rising to P50 for two- or
three-hour drives. In the cities, a trip of a few
hundred metres costs around P7, rising to P25 on
longer routes. To pay, hand your money to the
passenger next to you and say
bayad po
(pay
please). If you're not sitting close to the driver, the
fare will be passed down the line of passengers until
it reaches him; he will then pass back any change.
By tricycle and “habal-habal”
The cheapest form of shared transport,
tricycles
are ubiquitous in the provinces. In Manila and Cebu
City they are prohibited from using certain roads,
but almost everywhere else they go where they
like, when they like and at speeds as high as their
small engines are capable of. The sidecars are
designed for four passengers - two facing forwards
and two backwards - but it's not uncommon to see
extras clinging on wherever they can, the only
limiting factor being whether or not the machine
can actually move under the weight of the extra
bodies. Tricycles never follow fixed routes, so it's
usually a question of flagging one down and telling
the driver your destination.
Closely related but even more life-threatening is
the motorcycle-for-hire, popularly known as “
habal-
habal
” (the nickname is a sexual allusion - ask a
Filipino friend). These motorcycles have two wooden
platforms attached to each side, sometimes accom-
modating up to thirteen persons (believe it). Though
there have been moves in Congress to change
things, at the time of writing the habal-habal was
still technically illegal; laughable when you consider
how essential they have become in many parts of
the country.
Fares
typically start at P10 per person for a short trip
of a few hundred metres on both forms of transport.
Many tricycles charge a set rate per person for trips
within town or city boundaries, usually around P10-25
(more in Manila). If you want to use the tricycle as a
private taxi you'll have to negotiate a price - P25-30 is
reasonable for a trip of up to 2km in the provinces.
Anything further than that and the driver will ask for
at least P50, though you can always try to bargain
him down. Note, however, that tricycle drivers are
notorious for ripping off foreigners, and especially in
touristy areas you'll need expert bargaining skills to
pay anything close to the local rate.
By FX taxi and van
Not unlike jeepneys in the way they operate,
FX taxis
are air-conditioned Toyota Tamaraw
vehicles (a bit like Range Rovers), with signs in the
window indicating their destination. They made
their debut in Manila in the late 1990s, and now
operate in other cities and on some popular inter-
city routes. However, routes are often not set, so it
takes a little local knowledge to know where to
catch the right vehicle. They can be a little claustro-
phobic - the driver won't even think about moving
until he's got ten people on board, three more than
the vehicle is designed for. In Manila most of these
taxis charge P2-3 per kilometre.
Elsewhere in the Philippines you may encounter
“
vans
” (often labelled “GT Express” meaning “Garage
to Terminal”), which are generally cramped Isuzu,
Suzuki and Nissan minivans (what would be called
small passenger vans in the US) that follow fixed
routes. They're usually a little more expensive than
buses but they're much faster as, unlike buses, they
don't stop off every few hundred metres. In Luzon
vans often have their own terminals in major towns,
and operate in competition with bus companies
and jeepneys over long distances. Destinations are
usually clearly marked on the windscreen.
By car
It's possible to
rent
a self-drive car in the Philippines
- a standard saloon car costs about P2000 per day -
but the question is whether you'd want to. Not only
is tra
c in Manila and other cities often gridlocked,
but most Filipino drivers have a very relaxed
attitude towards the rules of the road. Swerving is
common, as is changing lanes suddenly and driving
with one hand permanently on the horn, parti-
cularly if you're a bus or jeepney driver. On the other
hand, if you're used to driving in London, LA or
New York this might not phase you too much, and
