Commuter Problems

According to Pagkatotohan (2022), in his article “6 Common Commuter Problems in the

Philippines” he stated that there are six common commuter problems in the Philippines. It is

important to identify the nature of the most common commuter problems, as it may give new

insights on how to tackle them.

The first is poor public transportation system. He cited a 2012 study of Asian

Development Bank (ADB), that identified that the main challenges in transportation in the

Philippines, then and now are: poor quality of road work, poor intermodal integration, lack of

quality urban transport systems, weak sector governance and institutional capacity, and limited

private investment in transport infrastructure. In the present, the government is working on

solutions to address public transportation issues. Second is the expensive fares. One of

commuters’ problem in the Philippines is the expensive fares in the public transportation. Fare

changes is a major issue since everyone is dealing with inflation. The base fare for public utility

jeepneys has increased from ₱11 to ₱12, modern public utility jeepneys increased from ₱13 to

₱14, ordinary buses changes from ₱11 to ₱13, and air-conditioned city buses increased their fare

from ₱13 to ₱15. Next is traffic jams. Filipinos have chosen to buy their own cars due to the lack

of public transportation in the Philippines. This, however, results traffic jams. Traffic jams

worsen on rainy days. On holidays nad occasions, commuting becomes even more unbearable.

Fourth common commuter problems in the Philippines are long queues at train and PUV

stations. A problem that wastes time and stress passengers. According to a survey by transport

advocacy network The Passenger Forum, 79% of its respondents believe they wait too long to

get a ride, and ninety-six percent of respondents say there aren’t enough jeepneys and buses to

serve commuting public. Another common problem of commuters in the Philippines is lack of
walkable areas for pedestrians. Sidewalks are typically narrow and footbridges are unusually

high that making it not accessible to persons with disabilities and senior citizens. The sixth and

last common problems is crime. Snatchers, hold uppers, and harassers seem to have become

fixtures on the road, making them one of the worst commuting problems in the country.

Commuters often feel unsafe while commuting–not just because of the odds of getting into an

accident, but also because of criminals lurking around the corner.

The daily struggles of student commuters

In the article of Pineda (2019), entitled “The daily struggles of student commuters”. No

Filipino deserved of waiting and spending hours trying to go from one destination to another. No

Filipino should sacrifice their sleep and energy just to wait in line for train or jeepney and no

Filipino should sweat to fight for space in a crowded public transportation, such as jeep, bus and

train. This is the struggle of many Filipinos, daily.

Students are also impacted by the crisis in public transit. In addition to trying to get to

class on time while navigating the traffic, students also have to manage their academics, personal

lives, and self-care.

In an interview with a student from University of Asia and the Pacific, namely Shaun

Volante, “The rides are such a hassle. Imagine waking up at 3 in the morning just to make it to

my 7 a.m. class every day. It affects every aspect of my life. Instead of getting rest and sleep, I

am stuck in traffic, feeling tired and restless,” he said.

they are paying for a room, a motorcycle, or a carpool. When students claim to be "tired," they

truly mean it.

“My past route consisted of a bus ride and two LRT rides costing around P80 daily. Now,

my route costs me around P400 for two P2P trips and one UV Express ride daily. This infuriates

me as the price is not just more than double, but the travel time increased from an average of

three hours to an average of four and a half hours, depending on the availability of the buses and

FXs,” says Raffy Briones from Ateneo de Manila University.

“I wake up at 3 a.m. since I live in Binangonan, Rizal,” says Albert Guallar of the

University of Santo Tomas. “I leave at 4 a.m. so I can arrive at school at 7:30 a.m. so I won’t be

late for my 9 a.m. class.”

“The long queues, countless hours in traffic, squeezing into a van with commuters packed

like sardines—you get to school with barely enough energy, and you go home super drained to

even do homework. If it were not for the traffic, my eyebags wouldn’t be as dark as they are

now,” says Ram Cartney Cortez of De La Salle University.

The Philippines loses P3.5 billion in daily potential income due to the rising traffic

congestion, according the Metro Manila Development Authority. If the issue is not fixed, the

amount is predicted to increase to P5.4 billion in 2035.

The ordeals of an everyday Filipino commuter

merely to get on a train or bus, and it can be a great hassle to get from one place to another or

even just to and from work. Due to the exorbitant cost of gas, diesel, and parking, as well as the

horrendous traffic in the city, those who own vehicles are now opting to take mass transit instead

of driving them to work.

But there is a hefty price to pay. Although you can save money on transportation, you

must wait in long queues to board public transportation or squeeze through crowded interior

spaces; before you get to your business or appointment, expect your clothes to be sweaty or

crumpled. Also, it is difficult and not recommended to carry a lot of extra baggage.

Our transportation issue is not unique. Commuters in several of the world's largest cities

also encounter this. We have observed how commuters in countries like India, Japan, Thailand,

the US, and many others struggled to get to work on time every day by using public

transportation.

Yet, a crucial tactic used by the majority of them is the drivers of these trains or buses'

rapid responses to any given situation. In order to get the enormous number of passengers to

their destinations as soon as possible during rush hours, trains leave the station nearly one after

the other. The buses, which you hardly ever see outside of peak hours, are also.

Possibly all of us, would choose to "go public" in all of our daily commutes if our

transportation officials could only think of and implement additional solutions that don't even

require "go public" in order to transport the large number of people to their destinations as

quickly as possible.