He makes sense but jeepney fans may find him harsh.
“On Wednesday, July 9, at the 36th National Academy of Science and Technology Annual Meeting, transportation sector adviser Rene Santiago called for the phase-out of jeepneys,” reports GMA News correspondent Kim Luces on GMA News Online.
Santiago—who has been a consultant for the Asian Development Bank and World Bank—was quoted as saying, “The jeepney has not received any innovation (since 1950). Why do we call it an icon of pride when it should be a symbol of shame?”
Santiago argued that jeepneys are often “islands in themselves,” as they’re often not part of an integrated transportation system. He added that “drivers are also forced to work long hours due to the boundary system.”
“Jeepneys should be replaced with something different—maybe along the line of the COMET (City Optimized Managed Electric Transport). It reduces pollution, for one, but it also changes the business model,” suggested Santiago.
The report noted: “The COMET is an electric vehicle that was built ‘primarily to replace jeepneys.'” The report further revealed that “it was previously reported that the first fleet of 30 COMET e-jeeps will be rolled out in Metro Manila by the second quarter of 2014.”
Ultimately, around 3,000 to 4,000 units are meant to be rolled out by the end of the year.
Photo from WikiCommons
