Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22) — Some 300 modern jeepneys hit the roads on Monday, but a transportation expert says this is not enough to meet the needs of thousands of commuters in Metro Manila.
Transportation expert Rene Santiago told CNN Philippines that estimated daily demand from commuters in Metro Manila, which is now under general community quarantine, stands at about six to seven million trips a day.
“The buses and the jeepneys will only provide no more than 1.5 million trips a day so we are still short of about 10 million trips because the rest will go to cars,” Santiago said in an interview.
“The buses and the jeepneys that are being fielded will not be enough to meet the demand, and since they are introducing it by bits and pieces, the entire network will not be there, so the interconnectivity will be missing,” he added.
According to Santiago, daily demand in Metro Manila before the lockdown was about 20 million trips a day, and at that time, there were about 60,000 traditional jeepneys on the road.
“Because of the lockdown, all the transport was shut down, and so by allowing 1,500 new jeepneys to come on stream that will help a little bit,” Santiago said.
“The modern jeepney was actually a four year program that was launched in 2016, they wanted to replace the old units with a new design, about 200,000 throughout the Philippines with about 60,000 in Metro Manila alone,” he added.
Modern jeeps can ferry only up to 20 to 50 percent of passenger capacity to ensure the one-meter physical distance rule. Passengers must be seated one seat apart and no standing passengers will be allowed. Seats to be occupied by passengers must be properly marked in the vehicle.
When asked about the current bus scheme being implemented on EDSA, Santiago called the government project “a horrible experiment,” adding that bus stop interconnections are needed along EDSA.
“Their experiment is a very incomplete way so at some point they will have to abandon the whole project at the cost of taxpayers’ money,” Santiago said.
“I think they should allow the motorcycles, including Angkas and so on, because these are open air, the wind ventilation will actually dissipate any virus that is onboard either the passenger or the driver,” he added.
Given the gradual increase in number of available public transportation, Santiago urged more employers to consider work from home options for their employees.
