Jeepney Ethics

“If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world, and that his heart is no island cut off from other lands, but a continent that joins to them.” (Francis Bacon, Sr.)

Haven’t we been taught time and again (in school, at home, and in the workplace) about how to be polite and courteous towards our fellowmen/women? Haven’t we been taught about manners and ethics? Haven’t we been taught about what’s right and what’s not? I just can’t understand why, at times, we seem to forget being the civilized, educated, and logical beings that we are.

For so many years I have been taking jeepneys (as well as FXs) to go to wherever, I can’t help but notice the lack of courtesy among many of my fellow passengers/commuters. It infuriates me to see people not showing any bit of care for others. What can you lose if you would go out of your way to contribute (in some miniscule ways) to the greater benefit of others? We’re only talking about moving an arm or leg or shift a few millimeters to the right or left here! It’s that simple! Good grief!

For the benefit of everyone, be nice… be courteous… do these when you’re riding the jeepney…

1. When getting on a jeepney that is already crowded with people, make it a habit to say “excuse me” as you go down the aisle to find a seat.
2. When paying, especially if you’re seated at the tail end of the vehicle, POLITELY ASK the other passengers to pass your fare on to the driver. Do not just say “bayad po” and expect the other passengers to get your fare and pass it on to the driver. Or worse, do not just extend your arm with your fare in your hand without saying a word and expect someone to react to that!
3. Always make it a point to thank the person/passenger to whom you passed your fare to.
4. If you hear somebody asking for a favor to pass his/her fare on to the driver, please always try to make an effort to do so. Don’t just sit there and act as if you’re not hearing or seeing anything. Remember, you’ve asked for the same favor before and will surely be asking for the same again and again for as long as you ride jeepneys.
5. If you get on a jeepney that’s empty, pay the driver as soon as you are seated. Don’t wait for someone else to get on and wait for the moment that he/she pays his/her fare and ask him/her to hand your fare to the driver along with his/hers.
6. Always make an effort to sit properly in a manner that will allow passengers (who get on after you) to find their seats easily. Don’t wait for someone to ask you to move before doing so. If you got on a jeepney that is already crowded, try to sort of “squeeze” yourself against the person sitting next to you.
7. If you feel that the person next to you is “pinning” you, try to flow with it and move yourself in the same direction and “squeeze” yourself against the other person sitting next to you.
8. Sit straight (perpendicular to the backrest) and try to keep your arms and legs directly in front of you. Guys, try to put your knees as close together as possible, it makes no sense at all to sit with your legs spread widely apart unless you have hernia. Also, if you need to hold on to the ceiling handle bar, please hold on to the bar with your arm(s) directly in front of you. Don’t extend your arm to the side and cover the face(s) of the person(s) you’re sitting next to. And girls (and some guys as well), as I have already mentioned, sit perpendicularly to the backrest, sitting at a 45 degree angle may be more comfortable, but you’re occupying more than one person’s worth of seating space.
9. If someone is getting off (or on) and you are holding on to the handle bar, put your hand down for a while, at least until after he/she goes past you. Doing this will give him/her something to hold on to to aide his/her balance as he/she goes down the aisle.
10. Those of you who have long hair, always (ALWAYS) bunch up your hair and swing it over your shoulder (to your chest). If it’s not that long… well… the bottom line is DON’T allow your hair to fly onto the face of the person sitting next to you!
11. AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, put your bag (or whatever it is you are carrying) on your lap. Not on the floor/aisle or on the seat (unless you are going to pay for the seating space occupied by your bag). Try to make an effort in keeping the aisle free of any obstruction.
12. AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, try to position whatever it is you are carrying in such a way that it is not obstructing the passage way or invading the space of other passengers.
13. DO NOT SMOKE!
14. If you need to get off, say so! DO NOT knock on the ceiling. DO NOT make that squeaking sound with your lips. DO NOT whistle. DO NOT make THAT hissing sound. It doesn’t take much more effort to say “para po” or “diyan lang po sa tabi” than to do any of those things.
15. If someone gets off at a location that is relatively close to where you are getting off (like a few feet/meters away), please get off already!!! For Pete’s sake, use your legs and walk once in a while!
16. If it’s raining and you’re carrying a wet umbrella, fold your umbrella as soon as you get on the vehicle and try to avoid letting it touch anyone’s legs.
17. Try not to sleep while you’re on the jeepney because it’s very likely that you’ll be using one of the persons you’re sitting next to as your pillow.
18. If you’re eating/drinking something inside the jeepney, please take the containers/wrappers with you when you get off. DO NOT leave them in the vehicle unless the jeepney you’re on has a waste basket. Never ever hurl them out the window. Same goes with gums.
19. If you are the only one seated on the front seat, please move yourself towards the driver if someone else is going to sit in front with you and allow him/her to take the outer seating space. If you want to keep the outer seat, get off first and allow the other person to get in before climbing back to your seat. Do not try to contort your body in a show of effort in letting the other person pass because the “extra” space you’ll be creating will not be big enough to allow for a trouble-free passage for any person (of any size).
20. If you are seated at the outer side of the front passenger seat and the person beside you is getting off, get out of the vehicle and allow him/her to get off easily. I repeat, do not just contort your body (and try to squeeze yourself deeper into your seat) because the “extra” space you’ll be creating will not be big enough to allow for a trouble-free passage for any person (of any size).
21. Guys, let’s be gentlemen… and ladies, don’t be prima donnas. Let’s all be courteous to one another and we’ll all be happy.

Thank you.

Jeepney Scenes (Mga Eksena sa Jeep)

Being a commuter for much of my life, I have witnessed (and experienced) all sorts of things inside the jeepney… some funny, some scary, some gross … you name it. For those who are clueless what jeepneys are, these are the most popular form of public transportation here in the Philippines.

From Wikipedia:

Jeepneys are the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They were originally made from US military jeeps left over from World War II and are well known for their flamboyant decoration and crowded seating. They have also become a symbol of Philippine culture.

Just the other night, on my way home, I witnessed a woman drop a peso coin as she was putting her change into her purse. The coin bounced off the floor and landed on the step of the jeepney’s entrance. She couldn’t get her eyes off the coin and it was evident that she wanted it back. Every time someone would get off, she would become edgy, perhaps fearing that her precious coin would be kicked off to the street. At one point, she tried to reach for the coin and the driver (who didn’t notice what she was doing) suddenly stepped on the gas… good thing she was able to hold on, if not, she would have rolled of the jeepney and fell on the pavement. Well, she eventually got her coin back.

That story is NOTHING compared to a lot of what I have encountered inside the jeepney over the years.

Like the one that happened on September 29, 2001, along Quezon Avenue in Quezon City…

My seat wasn’t even warm yet when two men suddenly declared a stick-up. They started off with a guy (seated behind the front passenger seat) who was at that time talking to someone on his cell phone. One of the SOBs (let’s call him SOB#1) pointed his knife (I think) at him and demanded for his cell phone. The guy initially resisted to hand over his cell phone. His resistance infuriated SOB#2 who was sitting one person away from me to my left. SOB#2 then pulled his gun out and rushed towards the guy with the cell phone and hit him in the face with the handle of his gun. When they got the poor guy’s cell phone, they shifted their attention to the other passengers, myself included. “Give me your cell phone!” SOB#2 yelled at me. Thinking that I probably could get away with it (with my cell phone inside my pocket), I told him “I don’t have one!” He then reached over to my pocket, grabbed the bulge that was my cell phone, pointed his gun at my face (with just a couple of inches to spare) and yelled “You SOB! You don’t have a cell phone?!” Well, they eventually got all the passengers’ cell phones (except for an old man’s) and jumped off the jeepney (at the Roces/Pantranco area).

That’s, by far, the scariest thing that has happened to me as far as my commuting life is concerned. As for the grossest, well…

I can’t really remember when this happened, but there was this time when the lady sitting across where I was seated started to jerk… she appeared to have some difficulty breathing and her face was turning red. She bent forward and started to make choking sounds… then some thick phlegm-like substance came out of her mouth and slowly stretched its way to the floor. The old woman sitting beside her was so grossed out that she yelled at her telling her to stick her head out of the window (which I realized at this point wasn’t really such a good idea as she could have lost her head that way). Well, some kind soul pulled out a plastic bag and handed it over to her.

There’s one story my friend has told me about which I find very funny (gross as it may be). He and his friend were on their way home after a drinking session. In the middle of the trip, his friend started to make those “pre-puking” facial contortions and body movements. Since my friend was seated right beside the entrance, he asked his friend if he wanted to switch places with him. His friend declined his offer and told him he was alright. Then, suddenly, his friend placed his hand over his mouth in an attempt to keep his mouth shut. Unfortunately, the pressure was probably too great that puke squirted out from the corners of his mouth! (Can’t resist chuckling as I was writing that.)

I have tons more stories like these with many hilarious ones… I could write all day about them but, I’m thinking, witnessing these things first hand is much better than hearing/reading about it. So, go out, ride a jeepney and enjoy the show.