Journeying by Jeepney - Thomas C Hanson - September 1984

Thomas C Hanson

It's a colorful, uniquely Filipino way to travel. Before going to the Philippines last fall I read that something called a jeepney is a common form of transportation there. Little did I realize that I'd soon see dozens of them, all decorated in different ways. What are jeepneys? They are brightly ornamented jeeps used for passenger service in Metro Manila and throughout the Philippines. Most jeepneys seat 16 passengers comfortably - 14 in the back and two up front with the driver. In the provinces, sometimes 30 to 40 ride one - or as many as can hang on, not so comfortably. The idea to turn jeeps into transportation vehicles came when the U.S. Army left hundreds of jeeps in the Philippines after World War II. The enterprising Filipinos turned them into a form of transportation. - Information Supplied By: Herbert W Armstrong Library