(Updated Nov. 19, 2014)
Commuting in the Philippines is always a harrowing experience. Hot, rickety Jeepneys, Taxicab drivers who overcharge and ask you to pay a steep contract price rather than use their taxi meter. Drugged bus drivers soaring through the highways and skyways and straight into hell [that is, if you don't get nabbed inside their bus first]. Public Utility Franchises, Traffic Enforcers and Lives are all bought, [ironically,] in the pursuit of the elusive “Hanap Buhay” 1
Commuting in the Philippines is always a harrowing experience. Hot, rickety Jeepneys, Taxicab drivers who overcharge and ask you to pay a steep contract price rather than use their taxi meter. Drugged bus drivers soaring through the highways and skyways and straight into hell [that is, if you don't get nabbed inside their bus first]. Public Utility Franchises, Traffic Enforcers and Lives are all bought, [ironically,] in the pursuit of the elusive “Hanap Buhay” 1
It
is the commuting public who are ultimately at a loss in this state of
affairs.
Now
this is where the visionary and Entrepreneur Philip Go Apostol coes
into the picture. He was convinced that the Filipinos deserve a
World-Class public transportation system and thus he founded the
Green Frog Transport Company. Touting the slogan “The Filipino
Deserves Better”, Apostol aims to improve public transportation in
the Philippines by showing Filipinos how commuting is done in First
World Countries and to inculcate in them proper commuting behavior so
that they can demand the same quality of services from government and
private transport providers.
My
girlfriend and I finally got to ride the bus.
The
Ride
The
bus route is from C5 Buting to Taft Avenue and on to the SM Mall of Asia. On our particular trip,
we got aboard the bus at the Bus Stop near PNR Buendia. The time was
around 7:30PM. [Click for route information]
The pricing system is area pricing: A ride in Taguig and Makati City is twenty pesos (P20.00). A ride in Pasay City costs ten pesos (P10.00) so a trip from end to end would cost thirty pesos (P30.00). This price may be
a bit steep for someone used to paying eight pess (P8.00) for a
jeepney ride, but it is definitely worth it. The bus is reasonably
fast. True, the hybrid system means that it only accelerates at one
meter per second, but it makes fewer stops, because everyone goes on
and off at a designated stop. There is no swerving in and out of traffic and the buses are well maintained so you can be certain that there would be no unforeseen breakdowns.
The
floor of the bus is lower than the usual coach that flies on EDSA.
This is deliberate in order to make ingress and egress easier. This
also means that there are no luggage compartments under the floor of
the bus, which is fine since they are unnecessary in a commuter route.
What the bus does have is lots of space inside and plenty of
standing room: a must during rush hour.
My
Girlfriend and I sat at the rear of the bus. And the following are actual pictures taken from our position.
(Photo
Courtesy of Kristelle Marie Gonzales)
The
seats were made of hard plastic, but they were far from being
uncomfortable. They were ergonomically designed for the average
Asian. They curved so that one could sit snugly. They were not of
the bench type so there was no sliding around in the corners. And
there was lumbar support, so I could imagine the aged and the infirm
sitting on these chairs comfortably. The road we travelled was
well-maintained and has a fresh asphalt overlay so this also
contributed to the comfortable and not bone-jarring ride.
The
conductor, who was a lady was very courteous and genuinely concerned
for the safety and comfort of her passengers. She was approachable
and when I asked her where I could buy Tap Cards for the bus, she
told us that we could get it from her. She politely tried to
convince me to buy the Tap Cards on that occasion and it made for a
very convincing sales talk.
It
was still rush hour when we took the bus so there was plenty of stop
and go traffic, but we still felt safe and comfortable. The reasons
for this are: (1) cool air conditioning, which points to the fact that
the bus is probably lovingly maintained; (2) clean surroundings,
which again point to proper maintenance and; (3) reasonable acceleration, the bus does not lurch about as you would expect buses
would. I would attribute this to:
(a) driver
professionalism and finesse and;
(b) the hybrid drive
system.
Because
of all these factors, by the time my Girlfriend and I got off the
Makati Avenue Stop, we were still comfortable and were not suffering
from motion sickness. I could ride this bus everyday, and I would
even look forward to the morning commute if this is what I'm getting.
Technical
Notes
The
hybrid system is not of the diesel electric type in the sense that
the motive force of the bus is lies in the electric motors alone (a
system I've written about previously, see here). The diesel engine
and the electric motors work in tandem with one another. This system
has its advantages because of its durability and reliability since it
will not allow the electric motors to overwork themselves
[probably... ask a automotive expert, not me].
(picture
courtesy of business.inquirer.net)
The
bus accelerates slowly and I believe that this is deliberate so that
it does not lurch about, throwing about the standing passengers.
This is no doubt facilitated by the automatic transmission system
which allows the bus to accelerate at a constant speed.
Points for Improvement
When I took this particular ride, Green Frog only had 8 buses in its fleet. This meant long waiting intervals between buses. But the company according to its Facebook page recently took delivery of new buses and expects a total of 24 buses by 2015 so we can expect to see shorter waiting times.
New buses will also solve another problem which is crowded buses. For a bus that charges P20 for a jeepney ride which would only cost P8, the buses do get very crowded at rush hour. More buses should help with the congestion.
The riders can also work on their discipline when riding the bus. Specifically in loading and unloading, as there is a designated entrance and exit which riders still tend to ignore. Though again, this could be a function of congestion as well.
Points for Improvement
When I took this particular ride, Green Frog only had 8 buses in its fleet. This meant long waiting intervals between buses. But the company according to its Facebook page recently took delivery of new buses and expects a total of 24 buses by 2015 so we can expect to see shorter waiting times.
The riders can also work on their discipline when riding the bus. Specifically in loading and unloading, as there is a designated entrance and exit which riders still tend to ignore. Though again, this could be a function of congestion as well.
Conclusion
One of Philip Go
Apostol's intentions when he started Green Frog Transport Company is
to educate Filipinos as to how commuting is done in developed
countries—to show us that it is possible to have dignified, fast,
economical, clean and safe transportation. The ultimate goal is that
Filipinos would campaign and lobby for world class transport.
I've seen what it
is like. And I am quite angry that our roads look like this,
(Photo
Courtesy of getrealphilippines.com)
and our commuters
have to line up for hours,
(Photo
Courtesy of Kristelle Marie Gonzales)
So I am calling to
you, Mr. President Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III, Chief
Executive of the land to help make commuting safer, cleaner, more
efficient and more dignified.
The President
(Photo
Courtesy of Kristelle Marie Gonzales)
1 Hanap Buhay – Tagalog, roughly translated as “Livelihood”. In the simple Filipino mind and Philosophy, it is a justification for all sorts of reckless behavior. It seems to justify the taking of life and property so that one may support himself and loved ones. As though personal prosperity is dependent on the poverty of others. It is the urban-dweller's version of a “zero-sum” game.↩
