While the jeepney is the staple, and dare we say, symbol of public transportation in and around the Philippines, the sad reality is that it has slowly deteriorated over the years. While the Willys-Jeep-turned-people-carrier is still an icon of Philippine culture, many of them plying our roads do emit a lot of smoke and have noisy, clattery old diesel motors.
All is not lost, however, as cities like Muntinlupa are trying to change all this with its Green Public Transport System. To be more specific, this local government unit down south of Metro Manila has fielded a fleet of EJeepneys or Electric Jeepneys in and around the city. The Barangay Hall, for instance, houses a spot where ten (10) EJeepneys are neatly parked, right next to their respective charging stations. Across the town hall sits the South Star Jeepney Terminal, Here, two more EJeepneys are parked. All of these clean and green people carriers are deployed to ply the city’s different routes, with the last two EJeepneys fielded exclusively at the posh Ayala Alabang Village.
Apart from this, the country’s “EJeepney Capital” also has an extensive 20-strong fleet under the Electric Vehicle Expansion Enterprises Inc (EVEEI). The group manages the vehicles to service the 240-hectare Filvest City’s 360 Eco Loop in Alabang. The flagship real estate development of Filinvest Corporation utilizes these EJeepneys to allow its residents, office workers, shoppers, and other folks to get in and around the mixed-use property with ease, silence, and a truly clean and green way.
In fact, Muntinlupa City Mayor Jaime Fresnedi is credited for launching the EJeepney for Free campaign. As the name suggests, residents who are Yellow Card Holders can simply swipe their cards to get a free ride. Those who don’t have this card can still do so by signing the logbook. The move is meant to encourage the use of this quiet and smoke-free means of ublic transport.
Hopefully, we\d see more EJeepneys plying Philippine roads real soon.
