A green route in Makati

This is another first in Southeast Asia and it’s the Pinoys doing it again. People around the Makati business district will see a dozen lively green vehicles moving around, offering free rides. A Green Route specifically moving through the Legaspi and Salcedo central business areas (CBA) has recently been started by the Makati City government in cooperation with the Institute for Climate Change and Sustainable Cities of the City University of New York (CUNY).

Commuters can now avail of free transportation in the new spic-and-span electrical jeepneys a.k.a e-Jeepneys. These will be moving around, Mondays to Fridays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., driven by the MAPSA drivers now called the “green drivers.” The route starts and ends in the Landmark department store and supermarket, moves around Legaspi and Salcedo CBA and stops for refueling at the Makati Fire Station which is the first-ever charging station (like a gas station).

The e-Jeep has been around for a number of years. It’s been steadily gaining ground as a logical choice for commuter vehicles as it is electricity based, smoke- and noise-free. It even has zero power consumption while it is at a stop. The four-speed model can go faster than usual golf cars, and can accommodate 14 to 17 passengers at a time. The e-Jeepney has also been awarded the Father Satur Neri Earth Day Awards, and has been featured in CNN. I remember when I accidentally saw a short clip about the e-Jeepney in CNN and was so excited that a green homegrown Pinoy made product was being acknowledged as good news.

Climate change is a real issue (despite its degree of participation by first world countries and the economic argument in the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference of the United Nations this December). In a local scale, each city must begin to make changes, no matter how small, in the environmental baseline upon which it plans and operates. We must begin to analyze, study and change our urban living habits and practices. The e-Jeepney is one step where we can help mitigate the problem of climate change as it is a measure that would avoid the use of climate change-inducing fossil fuels. Can we imagine what we all can change if all the urban cities in the Philippines have e-Jeepney instead of the noisy smoke belching Jeepneys and buses that crowd the streets today?

There has been a growing support for green initiatives by the public and private sector. It is heartwarming to note that this is an all-Filipino effort from the construction and assembly of the e-Jeepneys by the Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturers Association (MVPMAP) under its Philippine Utility Vehicle project (PhUV), paintings on the e-Jeepneys done by local talent artist Toym Imao and batteries by Motolite. Then there is the Asian Development Bank and World Bank, who will seek support from their grant-givers to deploy more e-Jeepneys in many other busy cities of the country.

Makati City isn’t the first one to use these e-Jeepneys, however. They were first (and still are) being used in Puerto Princesa in Palawan which has started to make its name as a green province and Puerto Princesa as a green city. The e-Jeeps are also being used in Plantation Bay Resort as well as De La Salle-Dasmariñas. Thank heavens for enlightened leaders and decision makers in these places! They have pioneered this all-Pinoy transport and have been helping the environment and cities become green and sustainable.

Selling note: The project needs the help of sponsors to continue its green routes. Each vehicle needs about P70,000 a month for support — to keep the driver, maintain the vehicle and pay for its regular charging and upkeep. Sponsors may display their company names and logos to be seen by riding and walking traffic. The e-Jeepneys can use advertiser support, and the advertiser will be blessed with positive recall as commuters see these companies as supportive of Green initiatives. Log on to www.ejeepney.org for more information on how to support this campaign for clean and green rides around the metropolis’ busiest districts. On a corporate level, companies can support the e-Jeepney project. A small amount per month compared to advertising bills on billboards will help maintain the free ride for a long, long time.