'King of the road' rules again as Philippines eases lockdown

By Adrian Portugal
MANILA, July 3 (Reuters) - Thousands of jeepneys,
flamboyantly decorated jeeps that serve as cheap public
transport across the Philippines, were back on the streets of
Manila on Friday, bringing relief to companies and commuters who
have struggled with coronavirus curbs.
Dubbed "the king of the road", an estimated 55,000 of these
large, multi-coloured trucks, used to crawl through Manila's
gridlocked roads on a typical day before being forced to a halt
15 weeks ago when the government imposed a coronavirus lockdown.
Just 6,000 were back in business on Friday, operating at
half capacity under strict social distancing rules. In
pre-pandemic times, jeepneys routinely carried up to 15
passengers who sat knee-to-knee on twin benches in the
windowless vehicles, choked by exhaust fumes.
"I'm very happy we are now back on the road. This is our
only source of income," said driver Celo Cabangon, whose truck
is decorated with Japanese and Philippine flags, Bible verses
and the logo of U.S. sci-fi film "Transformers".
Under the new rules, passengers must also undergo
temperature checks before boarding and shield themselves from
one another with face masks and plastic sheets. The Philippines
has recorded 40,000 coronavirus cases, and 1,280 deaths.
Commuter Alejandra Carable welcomed the jeepney's return.
"Our expenses are too much without jeepneys. We can save much
more now that the jeepneys are back."
A jeepney fare is typically about 9 pesos ($0.18), cheaper
than trains, taxis or motorised tricycles, which were allowed
back on the road a month ago when authorities started easing one
of the world's longest and strictest lockdowns.
A phased return to work has been chaotic without jeepneys,
with commuters stranded and some companies unable to provide
sufficient private transport.
The first jeepneys were surplus army jeeps left behind by
the U.S. military after World War Two. Most are festooned with
religious slogans or horoscope signs and are in poor shape.

(Writing by Martin Petty
Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)