Commuting realities

Today, I digress from social issues and speak from experience. You see, I recently submitted my car to the dealer or what the layman would call "casa”. It was scratched in its front bumper apparently from my poor maneuvering skills. I was on my out of the parking slot in front of the MCWD office when the guard on duty kept on signaling me to move forward without looking at the car already approaching its wall. Thus, the rest is history.

This allowed me to embark on a commuting journey from Cebu City to where I live, the town of Consolacion. Yes, we are known to be the traffic capital of the north as it serves as a gateway to all other towns and cities. The road is a big factor to the problem as it is constricted and unsuitable for a progressive town. What also adds to the problem are the continuing road works on top of very undisciplined drivers.

I was not really fond of the journey. Although the jeepneys are now modernized, the characteristic of how it is driven remains the same. Drivers pick up passengers as long as the door can open, no matter how full it already is inside. The manner of driving is the same --the jeepney swerves whenever it can, stops wherever there are no traffic enforcers, and there is no respect for traffic rules.

We also add to this fact the number of jeepneys in comparison to the number of people who have to commute every day. When the rush hour hits, there aren't enough units for everyone to get home on time. It is a horrendous process just to reach your abode. Not to mention, there is also the constant anxiety on the possibility of having pickpockets onboard. The emotions are still the same until today.

No matter how hard the transportation sector tries to "improve" public transportation, it wouldn't be efficient without proper education for the operators and drivers. There must be a move to professionalize what they do so they would also work hard for it. They must be treated as important individuals because without them, a big part of the economy is also paralyzed. Not everyone can be on their private cars; that's exactly why they exist for a reason.

It may be a long shot but we can always replicate good transportation models from other countries. They have amazing railway systems that are interconnected. It is so easy to reach one point from another. That is all we need, to move freely with no fuss.

I'm not so sure how long I can last in this commuting phase or if I ever survive it (as I should). This should be a wakeup call for those in the transport sector to give the people what they deserve. We all need an effective and efficient system that can benefit not only the riding public but also the drivers as well. We need to uplift each other.