An item in the “Mao Ba” section of this paper reaffirmed in two paragraphs or so why I hate having to ride in jeepneys and to a lesser extent, other forms of mass public transport.
The item involved the writer’s personal account of a passenger who was boarding a passenger jeepney that was already filled to capacity. Undeterred, the jeepney driver told his passengers to make room for the incoming commuter.
He requested this even as he complained loudly about said commuter’s size and how he wished the female passenger were smaller so she could fit in easily.
His comment would have amused his dispatcher — for our visitors in this country especially the foreign tourists, this refers to the driver’s partner who calls out to commuters and collects the fares — and likely caused his fellow drivers to laugh out loud.
But the jeepney driver’s snide comment/insult wasn’t appreciated by his passengers, who had to be inconvenienced by his insistence to add another passenger in the jeepney even if they were already packed tight like sardines in a can.
It was especially insulting to the female commuter who, despite her size, only wanted to find a ride and, due to time constraints or other reasons, had to settle for a passenger jeepney that is not just filled to capacity but is likely foul-smelling and is a moving, open target for street beggars, pickpockets and solicitors.
It is this attitude, this utter disrespect and disregard for the comfort and convenience of commuters that make me and perhaps others less sympathetic/apathetic of those transport strikes being held by militant transport groups denouncing fuel price increases or their latest target, Joint Administrative Order 2014, something which imposes stiffer, more stringent sanctions against errant drivers and operators.
The latest transport rally had these drivers and operators railing anew against alleged plans by the national government to phase out aging jeepneys 10 years old and above.
While I realize that buying new jeepney units is expensive, I have to ask: is there any commuter out there willing to ride a decrepit, rusting passenger jeepney on a hot summer day unless he or she is pressed for time or cannot afford to ride a taxi or those SM MyBus units?
I am reminded of the “Mao Ba” item anew when I was at a mall recently looking to flag down a taxi at Fuente Osmeña. There was this old woman and a boy, probably her son, who tried to have commuters line up as she and the kid tried to flag down taxis for them.
While some people appreciated her efforts and understood her need to earn a living, others were annoyed having to be herded into a line by someone they don’t know, someone who wants to make money off them even if it’s only P5 from every taxi driver whom they help find a passenger for — I don’t know if her total collection for that day would reach even half of minimum wage.
This “herding” of the commuters, not unlike the herding of cattle by cowboys and cattle rustlers, in passenger jeepney, bus and taxi terminals — this for me shows in a nutshell the whole problem of public transportation in the country.
As transport groups continue to howl over JAO 2014 something and the prices of spare parts — they can’t whine about fuel prices owing to the global decline in oil prices — and government does little to absolutely nothing while oil companies and Big Business continue to profit, the commuter can only bear and either flash a smile or gnash his or her teeth as they continue to be subjected to the daily indignities of inefficient, antiquated mass transport and the obnoxious, arrogant and undisciplined attitude of some public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers.
Note that I said some, not all. There are courteous, hardworking and accommodating to a fault PUV drivers out there, but their ranks appear to be thinning out and being replaced by ill-tempered, ill-mannered street bullies who don’t think twice about squeezing their passengers inside their vehicles and insulting them when they don’t fit.
That’s why it was no small comfort when SM MyBus units and coasters sponsored by Robinsons malls began plying the streets — SM MyBus charging P25 upwards to commuters depending on distance and Robinsons coasters offering free rides to those headed to their mall.
When the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system gets fully implemented two years from now in Cebu City, commuters could probably breathe a little easier. It’s not a cure-all by a long shot, but it could provide some long-awaited convenience on the road and give people another reason to smile more.