The 2-year break our society was forced to endure because of the COVID-19 pandemic should have been an opportunity for the people in charge of important things in our country to make improvements.
Unfortunately for our archaic and chaotic public transportation sector, the country’s Department of Transportation has done absolutely nothing to take advantage of golden opportunity handed to it on a golden petri dish by society’s great 2 pause.
If the DoTr had any plans at all to upgrade the state of public transportation stuck in some back burner, they should have recognized this once-in-a-generation chance to hatch those ideas. But as we can obviously see, almost three years have already passed but nothing happened and nothing changed. The world went on pause and streets were empty or underutilized for two years but no improvements were implemented. When the world unpaused, commuting in this country, especially the national capital region, remained the same old hellish experience.
The failure to take advantage of the 2-year break to make the public transportation system even just slightly better is seen in the daily queues for the MRT and buses in the country’s capital region. No train cars or buses were added. No rapid bus system implemented. For our government officials who travel on SUV convoys funded by our taxes, everything is still car-centric and the common commuter still isn’t a priority. In this lopsided pecking order, the bicyclist fares even worse.
The crazy prices of fuel these days is exacerbating matters. With neither vision nor ambition among those who matter in the transport sector, going electric is only good for lip service and press releases. Our Jurassic, terribly inefficient transportation and massively polluting transport sector remains highly dependent on fossil fuels that are about to break the historic 3-digit mark per liter.
Jeepney drivers aren’t even considering going on strike anymore, they are just applying common sense in deciding that running their routes is simply not worth it given the currently ridiculous price of fuel. This is what happens when our transport sector is dependent on fuel and if it is not properly supported by government. The jeepney may be one of the most recognizable cultural symbols of the Philippines, but it badly needs an overhaul. While the vehicle that is still built with surplus parts and no regard for efficiency, emissions, or safety needs to be modernized, it is the entire jeepney system itself that needs fixing.
The public transport problem in Metro Manila is a giant mess that will probably take years and tons of political will to fix. If we get the same kind of leadership that we’ve had for the past 6 years, then we will have to think in terms of decades. As long as mass transportation system does not meet the needs of one of the most populous cities in the world, traffic and commuting will remain a problem there.
If you come to think of it, the problem isn’t as bad yet in the smaller metropolitan areas like the Metro Bacolod area but if nothing is done, the same thing is also bound to happen.
Transport overhauls should’ve started at the peak of the pandemic. Any new set of rules or system applied during that pause could’ve made the transition to a “new normal” easier. A central dispatching system for jeepneys or buses could have been applied, along with bus/jeepney stops and even trip schedules. Intra and inter city routes could’ve been rationalized and established, along with plans for a future tram, train or rapid bus system. Proper bike lanes and sidewalks could’ve been built during that time, along with covered or shaded areas that could make communities more walkable and encourage active transport.
Even with the DoTr sucks, towns and cities that are led by people who prioritize transportation can still make small but significant changes to the way things are. The bigger the city, the harder it becomes to fix the system, but for those that are in the sweet spot in terms of size and population, this is the time to do something about it. A city like Bacolod is probably on the big side now, but for those surrounding it, such as Silay, Talisay and Bago, so much can be done to make their public transport system the envy of the country, if not the world. All it takes is their leader to have a vision and the determination to see it through.
Just because we wasted the opportunity provided by the pandemic, it doesn’t mean we lost that one and only chance. Transportation is critical in improving the quality of life in any community and it is something our leaders should be paying attention to. What exactly are we waiting for?*
