Motoring around Manila

Taxis are for tourists.

For eight pesos (about 20 cents), you can hop onto one of the colorful, if tight, Jeepneys that circuit Manila. They go everywhere, and in some parts of town seem to outnumber every other vehicle.

Sometimes they don’t actually stop, just slow down enough for someone to grab a hold of the back. You have to stoop through the small opening above the rear bumper and crouch-shuffle past the other commuters to take a seat on one of the parallel benches along the sides.

Then you pass along your fistful of coins to the driver, who is simultaneously collecting fare, giving change, shifting gears, honking his horn, negotiating traffic (a challenge all its own in metro Manila) and sometimes yelling into his cell phone too.

The first Jeepneys were fashioned out of surplus or broken-down Jeeps the American military left behind (thus the name). They’re often jerry-rigged out of whatever parts are available—and not just car parts. Instead of a gas tank, this Jeepney uses a water bottle to feed fuel into the engine.