2019-09-01_Lonely_Planet_Traveller

PHOTOGRAPH: SEATOPS/ALAMY

USforcesbroughtJeeps
to thePhilippinesin
1944 in theircampaign
againsttheJapanese.
Manywereleftbehind
afterWWII,becoming
thefirstjeepneys.The
wordlikelycombines
‘Jeep’and‘jitney’(US
slang for ‘shared cab’).

Aswellas extending

thebackto fit more

passengers,jeepney

ownersgotcreativewith

paintjobsandborloloys

(ornaments).Thebuses

werealreadya national

iconby1964,whenone

wasexhibitedat the

New York World’s Fair.

Jeepneyartfreelymixes

genres:religion,action

filmsandmore.Onebus

mightsportimagesof

Christanda fighterjet.

Borloloysonthebonnet

includehorsefigurines,

andMercedesemblems

thatbearnorelationto

who built the chassis.

Passengersnormally

boardat thebackand

faceeachotherontwo

longbenches.Faresare

thenpassedalongthe

busto thedriver.Most

jeepneysseat14–20

people;sittingonthe

roofis nowbanned,but

still happens sometimes.

Inrecentyears,andto

muchcontroversy,the

Filipinogovernmenthas

movedto phaseoutthe

traditionaljeepneyin

favourof lesspolluting

alternatives.It’snot

clearhowmuchlonger

thebuseswillremaina

common sight in Manila.

To Manileñosand othercity-dwellersin the Philippines,theyare the cheapestmeansof travel:

hop-onhop-offbuseswith a minimumfare of ninepesos(15p).To visitors,jeepneysare a colourful

symbolof Filipinospiritand ingenuity:custom-weldedand paintedin eye-catchingdesigns.When

sent out into the gridlockof Manila’sstreets,jeepneysare a test of anothernationalvirtue,

‘bahala na’ (patience in the face of the unchangeable). Their days, however, may be numbered.

ICON

Jeepneys of Manila

Itcanbea

challengeto

readthejeepney

routedetails

amidallthe

decoration