Life is a Jeepney Ride

As my first entry for this blog, I think it would be best to explain why Jeepney Ride. Coming from the Philippines, I feel a strong affinity to the Jeepney. It must be the cheapest form of transport one can find in the world. A fare of a couple of pesos, I can get to downtown Bacolod (my hometown) with the entertainment of the local radio station roaring the latest pop hits or a local political commentary. One has to take a ride with this iconic form of transport to be able to understand what I’m trying to say here. Jeepney drivers are the only breed of men who can multi-task! Honestly. Not only does he drive through the chaotic traffic but he also functions as fare collector! Whilst driving, he collects fares from boarding passengers; who most often do not give the exact fare amount so he had to give the change back. Imagine this; he has to do sums (mentally) to give the correct change to the paying passenger whilst manoeuvring in the traffic. As innovative creatures, Jeepney drivers fold the money bills they receive into strips around their fingers so they have an idea how much they have made so far. The coins are held by a small open wooden box in front of the steering wheel for easier access and viewing. They are so talented.

Here’s a photo of the Jeepney:

Although jeepneys are prevalently used in the whole country, I will only confine this blog of this specific subject to my city, Bacolod. The city is divided into areas where jeepneys ply their routes but most of them end up in the Central Market or we call it Downtown. In my younger days, my home in Homesite was so far that it was out of range for jeepneys, so we used to walk to the nearest stop where jeepneys turn up. This was in Punta Makiling in Baranggay Villamonte and this was also the end point destination of that route. But then when it was our Suki (regular) driver, upon seeing that most of the passengers are from Homesite, he would drive all the way to the Taytay (the bridge), entrance of the subdivision, making the walk home much shorter. The fare then was 5 centavos one way. As I was never good at managing my finances then, I used to be short for my fare, so I would wait for one of the Suki (regular, hence familiar) drivers, nicknamed, Long Sleeves for a ride standing up so I didn’t have to pay! Long Sleeves was a character on his own right. He was given that name because no matter what the weather was, he always wore long sleeves shirt! I’ve always wondered why he wore them but never mustered enough courage to ask him. His expression was sort of ‘ suplado’ (grumpy) to the grown-ups but he was fine with us, young kids. Though he hardly spoke he seemed to get understood by using his head (literally)–either nodding or shaking. Quite an extra-ordinary man he was or is (not sure if he is still alive).  I should thank him for all the free rides I had!

Riding the jeepney is a good social vehicle because you get to meet old friends, neighbours or even enemies who happen to jump in. From my home, some get off in front of the Burgos Market, others at West Negros and then others get on to go downtown. It is sort of special treatment to passengers because you can ask the driver to stop wherever you want to be dropped. All you have to do is shout, Para (stop) a few metres where to stop. This way, however, is the cause of traffic chaos because the jeepney will stop right in the middle of the road without considering motorists behind!

Looking back, I’ve had a couple of horrendous experiences riding a jeepney at night with my older cousin. One was a drunken man pointing a knife to the driver for his day’s income. I still remember sitting there frozen whilst my cousin covered my eyes to protect me. Another time, two men and a woman were fighting and one of the men held a knife on the woman’s throat. We had to stop somewhere near the cemetery which was on the route for them to get off. Apparently, it was a love triangle! I could have written a novel about them then.

Times have now changed not only in my hometown but all over the world. However, jeepneys are still around. People are still people and we experience life as we live it. So let’s keep on riding the jeepney, literally and metaphorically. Enjoy the journey and who knows what experiences we might encounter!