Manila Auto Show 2013 Part 3: Jeepney Special Report

Good old me proudly posing next to “Jesus loves you” the Jeepney…

* See the Full Article featuring 2 videos and 23 photos by clicking on the title! *

This is Part 3 of 3 special reports on the Manila International Auto Show 2013. You can check Part 1 – an overview of the Filipino car market and its perspectives for the near future here and Part 2 – Has the time come for Chinese manufacturers in the Philippines? here. Last but not least, I am now introducing the much-anticipated special photo/video Report on the world-famous Jeepneys that crawl the streets of Manila.

First a bit of history. Our friend Wikipedia says Jeepneys were originally made from US military jeeps left over from World War II. The word jeepney came from the combination of the words “jeep” and “jitney”, a small bus that carries passengers on a regular route with flexible schedule.

“Virgin Mary”

The original jeepneys were refurbished military jeeps by Willys & Ford. Modern Jeepneys are now produced with surplus engines and parts coming from Japan. My faithful Loney Planet guide said you are bound to lose yourself on your first couple of trips in a Jeepney… Well.

“Capri Conn”

You see directions are written on the Jeepney itself but are pretty confusing to understand as the same street can have 3 different names… In spite of the elements conspiring against me, my first Jeepney trip was perfect – probably because I asked the driver to tell me where to get off. The following two trips: not so much. But that’s the whole fun of it!

“3 Brothers” with happy passengers

One ride from/to anywhere in Manila costs just 8 Pesos (20 cents) and can last up to an hour depending on the traffic. So lots of photo opportunities and a truly amazing experience, which I strongly recommend to any of you readers that have decided to travel to the Philippines. Much better (and much cheaper) than travelling in a taxi, trust me on that one!

Now to the Jeepneys’ sound…

See the full article featuring 23 photos and 2 videos below.