Jeepni – the symbol of the Philippines

If in Thailand the national means of movement is Tuk-Tuk, then in the Philippines – it is a jeepney or jeepney. So called buses running throughout Manila and other major cities. At first I wanted to write about all the transport in the Philippines, but when I saw my collection of jeepni, I decided to devote them a whole article. We can say that they have already become one of the symbols of the Philippine Culture.

His name of the jeepni received from American jeeps Willys, remaining in large numbers after the Second World War. Military inheritance was not disinterested. Americans sold on 200 dollars jeeps.

Local craftsmen reworked the salon into a small indoor truck and painted on their discretion. It turned out a kind symbiosis between a jeep and a minibus.

In such self-made machines transported goods or used as public transport in large cities. Additional feature has now been added – Jeepney has become the attraction of the Philippines. In tourist stores sell photos of buses and their toy model. Special chic – small jeeps made from beer cans.

In our time, the jeepni is produced in private factories and collect manually. The most famous of them – Sarao Motors.

Djipni buses are very similar to Thai SonGTEO: Entrance to the passenger interior from the back, two beams on the sides and the natural air conditioner in the form of wind. Such buses are a symbol of Philippine subculture of public transport.

Jeepney’s body is done by manually from tin sheets, the seats are stuffed with coconut coir, the windshield is inserted, and then painted with a conventional tassel. The cost of such a type of transport begins from 10 thousand dollars. There are separate specimens, the price of which is higher.

If Thai SongTEO differ in cities and regions, then in the Philippines you will not find two identical jeeps. Even in Manila, every bus is unique.

Owners belong to their transport with soul: painted to their taste, inspired headlights, decorate stickers. So transport gets soul.

You can now order in the factory right in the factory. Philippines pretty religious country, so you will meet slogans on buses "God Is Love" or "GUIDE US, OH LORD".

In some major cities, the Philippines of Jepts collect from imported Japanese pickups, which makes them similar to Gangsta-rapper cars.

Manila jeepni more resemble hippie buses from the distant 70s: inscription "God Is Love" Downstairs and advertising ice cream on a spare wheel.

In fact, it is a bout spare wheels, they have absolute bald tires. For decorations, everything you can find. For example, an icon "Mercedes" absolutely does not mean that the jeepney has any attitude to this car brand.

In this photo, the tricycle goes from the left side – another type of public transport, which I will tell next time.

On the island of Bochol, in the city of Tagbilaran, Jipni very much resemble Thai Tuk Tuki or Songteo with two shops.

They are carefully tuning on the joy of passengers and driver. In Thailand, such pictures can only be found on large buses of private companies.

This instance of jeepni looks like a pink dream of a trucker daughter.

Jeepni in the Philippines are so unique and are a mapping of culture that in Manila every year a competition is held among drivers "King Jept", which choose the most beautiful bus.

As a rule, the driver and conductor ride in the jeepni. The latter is still a closed at stops. In some cases, the role of the conductor performs the driver. Then all passengers pass to him for travel. I am sure that without "Zaitsev" Does not do.

The fare in Jeepni is small – no more than 1 dollar per person. Such buses are convenient for stopping at the request of passengers, and not strictly at stops.

12-16 people arrive in the jeep, but at rush hour you can see much more people standing right in the passage. Especially bold jumping right on the go.

Jepts are so popular that their motives can be found prints on clothes, paintings, souvenirs, cartoons and even music rollers.

In Manila, the jeepni is increasingly exposed to pressure from other public transport: air-conditioned buses, metro and taxis. Almost all jeeps work on diesel fuel, which began to worry ecologists. Newspapers wrote that 16-seater jeepni consumes fuel as a 54-bed air-conditioned bus. But in general, the concepts of manila and ecology, in my opinion, is very difficult to combine. However, local companies launched the production of eco-friendly jeeps, working alternative fuel, for example, charging from the electrical outlet. Such E-Jeepney can develop speed up to 40 km / h and are used in schools, amusement parks and other public places.

Going on a trip to the Philippines? Be sure to ride at the jeep, because the usual taxi is so boring! Only in such public transport you can feel all local flavor.

Useful sites that will be useful to you:

Level Travel – search engine tours from different tour operators and buying online without agents and overpayments.
Travelata – site with rounds from 120 tour operators and payment online on the map without extra charge.
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For independent travelers:

Aviasales – convenient search engine tickets with favorable prices.
Kiwi Taxi – Transfer from the airport and back + 12 classes of cars
Hotellook – Price comparison system for hotels from Buking, Agodas, island and other sites.
Tripinsurance – Insurance with the best coating, including dengue fever and chronic diseases.
CherehaPa – search engine of insurance policies from different companies, a large selection of options.
Klook – Discounts on entrance flights (Site in English).
Rentalcars – rental cars and minibuses in any city of the world.