By Dario Agnote
The gaily painted jeepney, one of the most recognizable icons of Filipino pop culture and the Philippines’ main means of transport, is getting a makeover. Efforts are under way to not just jazz up the image of the diesel-fueled jeep, but also to make it more eco-friendly and adapted to the changing times.
Environmental activists and government officials have teamed up with local jeep assembly firm MD Juan Enterprises Inc. to produce nonpolluting electric-powered jeepneys — cleaner, safer alternatives to fossil fuel-based transport.
Powered by rechargeable batteries, the E-jeepney hopes to revolutionize the jeepney that has ruled the Philippine streets since the 1950s. And the facelift is timely given the spiraling diesel and gasoline prices.
In July, three freshly designed E-jeepney units — the first public transport of its kind in Southeast Asia — were rolled out to the press and three more E-jeepneys are currently on the assembly line.
Yvonne Castro of Green Renewable Independent Power Producer, or GRIPP, said their group plans to produce 10 more E-jeepneys over the next three months.
And the project is a breath of fresh air for urban dwellers.
Equipped with a 5-horsepower electric motor, the sleek, brightly-colored and environmental friendly E-jeepney can seat 14 people, including the driver, and it can run 80 kilometers on a full charge.
Dubbed ‘’King of the Road,'’ the elongated, flatbed passenger carrying jeepneys, modeled on U.S. army jeep left behind by the Americans after World War II, remain the main transport for millions of Filipinos.
But because of their sheer number, the smoke-belching jeepneys that ply Manila’s traffic-choked streets are blamed for clogging the streets, compounding the dismal traffic problem and dirtying the city’s air. The jeepneys also get the blame for increasing road accidents, due in part to their wild drivers’ notoriously reckless ways on Manila’s streets.
Indeed, the ubiquitous jeepneys never fade away; they survive despite the rising popularity of Japanese-made air-conditioned Toyota Tamaraw FX and Mitsubishi ‘’mega-taxis'’ on the streets. An estimated 220,000 to 230,000 jeepneys ply the streets of Metro Manila and other provinces on any given day.
Today, a number of 25-seat air-conditioned jeepneys service selected routes in the metropolis, including the country’s Makati financial district. But the jeepney has remained a symbol for the poor.
Vicente Belisario, sales manager of MD Juan Enterprises, said tourists must be able to experience the jeep when they visit the Philippines.
Aside from E-jeepney, the company is also developing a six-wheel air-conditioned jeep that hotels can use to shuttle tourists to and from the airport. Belisario said the company wants to come up with several variants of jeepneys, hoping for the support of the government.
MD Juan Enterprises is the world’s sole maker and supplier of restoration parts of WWII jeeps, the disposable vehicle that U.S. Gen. Douglas McArthur used during the war. The company has been exporting replicas of WWII jeep parts and accessories to vintage jeep enthusiasts in Europe, Australia, North and South America.
From Kyodo Podcast News October 10, 2008 @ 21:02
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