Gotta Love the Jeepneys!

In Cebu, one of the most popular modes of transportation is the Jeepney. They were originally made from US military jeeps left over from WWII and are known for their flamboyant decoration and crowded seating. The word Jeepney is a combination of "jeep" and "Jitney" which is a North American English term which originally referred to a livery vehicle intermediate between a taxi and a bus.

We have been experimenting with jeepney transport for the past few weeks and thought I would share what I've learned... Each jeepney has a specific route which is typically designated by a number-letter combination (like 4C or 62A) at the front of the jeepney. The jeepney route is also painted on the side of each jeepney and usually includes each main stop along the jeepney route. Some jeepneys run back and forth the same route and others go in a loop. There are no designated stops for the jeepney. When you want to get on, you stand by the road until you see the one you want coming and then flag them down. When you are on and want to get off, you have several options for notifying the driver, the most common of which are either banging a coin or some other metal object on the handle bars inside the jeepney or by making a kissing noise. The first few days I was here and just walking around Cebu, I constantly heard kissing sounds and thought that everyone here was trying to get my attention and/or hit on me... Nope, they were just trying to stop the jeepney. Sometimes, there is a guy who rides on the back of the jeepney and helps tell the driver when to stop. He is also trying to advertise where that particular jeepney is going and encourage people to get on.

To say that jeepneys get crowded is quite the understatement! I'm pretty sure that they use the following method when trying to estimate how many people should fit on the jeepney. First, identify how many people would fit comfortable... then identify how many people would fit uncomfortable... then identify a number of people that would be impossible to fit in a small space... then add 5 people to that number. That's how many people they cram into jeepneys. We were on a jeepney this morning and guessed that there was only room for one more person which meant that they would probably put three more on... nope, they put 6 more on! To make things even more interesting, jeepneys are designed to fit 4'10" filipino people and not 6'2" americans! So the four of us take up the same amount of space as 7 filipinos. The jeepney drivers count how many people are in the jeepney to determine how many more can get on. So, having us large americans on board throws things off. But being so much taller also makes it almost impossible to get on and off the jeepney without crawling, especially when the only open spots are all the way in the front by the driver, so you have to climb past everyone.

BUT, the benefit of jeepneys are that they are so cheap! While a taxi usually runs anywhere from 60 - 100 pesos, a jeepney is only 7 pesos (about 15 cents) per ride. You just have to be careful when you take the jeepneys for thiefs and pickpocketer or "snatchers" and "holdup-ers" as they call them here. But, as long as you avoid jeepneys at night and hold on to your stuff while on board, you should be fine.