Upgrade PH Public Transpo to Increase Productivity

With the Philippine economy opening up after two years of the pandemic, there is an increase in the number of people on the road daily.

Despite some companies and offices shifting to a hybrid work-from-home set-up, the daily commute of Filipino citizens has still not improved.

According to Move as One Coalition, an advocacy group for Jeepney operators, it would take an average of three hours for a commuter to be able to get a ride.

The high fuel prices have forced jeepney operators on the road and are crippling the already weak public transportation system of the country.

It has been said that there is an ongoing public transportation crisis due to the high prices of fuel, fewer jeepneys on the road, and a demand that cannot be supported by the supply.

Last March 28, 2022, the Department of Transportation launched free MRT 3 rides and extended this until June 30 of the same year.

Data from the DOTr last May 24 showed that over 15 million commuters made use of the MRT3’s free rides.

While the efforts were welcome and appreciated by commuters alike, the problem remains. The demand is not an issue, the supply is lacking.

The Philippines has a mobility issue with its citizens lacking adequate access to modes of transportation.

Even private vehicles on the road likewise suffer. A report by TomTom (TOM2) Technology back in 2020 showed the Philippines as having the second most traffic in the world, out of 416 cities and 57 countries.

Metro Manila also ranked second back in 2019.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) released a study back in 2017 that the Philippines is predicted to lose around  ₱5.4 billion every day by the year 2035 if traffic does not improve.

Although the government is making efforts to upgrade the metro system by taking out loans and expanding the tracks, there are other areas of public transportation to be enhanced such as jeepney modernization programs while taking into account the financial capacity of jeepney drivers and operators as so they do not get left behind or displaced.

The same goes for bus operators. With other countries using an electronic card system and touch payments for fares, this would save time and money for commuters and operators alike. With the pandemic boosting the number of end-users for e-wallets and online payment systems, hopefully, the Philippines could incorporate this digitized system more into our daily lives.

The public transportation crisis has underscored the importance of public transport as well as neglect for improvement over the past years.

For the country to move forward at a faster and more productive pace, public transport needs to be prioritized and given high importance.

Source: Philippine News Agency, Inquirer