What would you feel if when you have to wait for hours on a jeepney
stop just to get a seat you could hardly fit in? What if hanging aft is the only
choice left so you can be home on time? How would you feel if you were in a deep
hurry for an appointment and the jeepney you boarded on had to stop by for a fuel refill?
Grrrrr...
If you are one of the many who do not own a
luxury car or even an ordinary chity chity bang bang (imagine a car that starts with two little sneezes and short blasts)
you can always go out to the streets and pick up a taxi or much more exciting, opt for an air-conditioned
public utility jeepney. If your budget is tight, go for the latter and experience
something unique.
As far as I can remember, the first time I rode a jeepney without my mother
dragging me by the hand was when I was in my last year in high school. As a young promdi then, I wasnt
able to fully utilize my freedom as a commuter, that is, being free to go anywhere, as mom was never absent to help me transport
myself. When the much-awaited first came upon a young, inexperienced fellow, as I was to ride a jeepney from Talamban to Colon, across the streets, alone I
felt excited and rather uneasy.
LOST IN THE STREETS. I had this fear of taking a PUJ with glass windows too small to get
a good view of the outside, since I could be brought somewhere else from where I wanted to go and the fact that I wasn't used
to memorizing landmarks, just added to the apprehension. I could only pray that
this would never happen. But I ended riding one of them, anyway. Up the lane to the highway, I kept on peeping through the small opening so I could tell where I was in
the first place. As expected, I was apparently heading in the wrong direction.
Why had I not been more attentive to mom when she said that 13B is for Carbon route and 13C for Taboan? Thank God that the
person next to me, noticing my anxious movements and nervousness, told me where to get down and take the nearest ride back
home.
JEEPNEY
DREAMS. I never learned from just one instance though. For me it is
cool to experience something the second time around, well this time in a different way.
A little dizziness was not a barrier for someone driven by the need to buy a school requirement for the next day. Totally
drained from working on a project overnight, I could tell there was a clash happening between my consciousness and my eyelids. Still, I went out, took a jeepney and started a journey too noteworthy to forget and
too odd to forget. A hundred meters and my eyes started to give in and my mind
wandered through the vastness of thought. Yes, I had fallen asleepfor fifteen
minutes! And that was a span of time enough to get me heading back home. Opps,
ha ha ha, but no one else had noticed it though.
So I acted as if nothing had happened, waited for a while, then got off and never looked back.
A LADYS TALE. One can certainly derive important
lessons from another persons experience. Take this one. I was on board a jeepney via downtown one fine early summer morn.
Being the first passenger, I took the rear and seat near the entrance. Minutes
later, a refined, young lady hopped in. Taking a seat directly opposite to me,
I knew at first glance she was bound for work, her thick red lips and facial facade told me so. I was enjoying her charms (she was beautiful) when all so suddenly, without both of us knowing, the driver
braked to an unexpected halt to an old woman who wanted to get on board. In physics
it is stated that in every action there is always a counterpart reaction. Newtons Law of Motion, that is. Before the reaction could affect
me, I was able to quickly grip myself firmly on my seat. The
lady unfortunately let herself slide, slip and skate along the lengthy passenger seats down to the front. An exhibition she did not anticipate.
A little later she grumbled, called the driver filthy names and without paying she got off.
MONEY-SAVING. This is not all about the term mamukong (a
word for anyone who intentionally rides without paying). It is about saving a
small amount supposed to be for fare in a moral and honest way. Read this:
A friend and I happened to occupy the front seats--which we were not actually used to-- of a Colon bound jeepney. Amidst a solid jam of
cars in a busy afternoon, we talked of places we have been to, memories we cherish, family origins and old generations. In the middle of a revealing tete-a-tete, the driver interrupted with statements about
his personal life. He asked questions, traced two generations of my fathers family
name. There was sorting out of family trees, which
eventually led to the conclusion that we were relatives, not that close though. He
then talked of life and how he managed to cope, and how he supported his family with his little earnings from his being a
full-time jeepney driver. A moment later, we handed to him
our fare but he insisted that we keep it.
I have never met someone who questioned me about what I do inside a PUJ, especially during boring trips. It sounds funny or strange huh, but I am hardly ever without something to do usually small things like
singing the weeks top song, or watching the driver smokes under the NO SMOKING ordinance printed in bold letters on the jeep
top or simply praying for the safety in travel.
I would sometimes make quite a big deal out of reading every bible passage, notes or even poems posted on the sides.
Ang jeep ay parang alkasiya, kaya ang ibigay niyo ay barya
I will always ride a Pasajero
Thank You. Ride Again
Load and unload on jeepney stop only
There were times I was more interested in keeping an eye on a baby sleeping on his mothers lap, or thinking about the
risks those men hanging at the back could surely get into.
I have learned so many things in all my years of riding a jeepney alone. An
unidentified youngster snatched a newly bought cap of mine while the jeep was on a stop: I would have to be always cautious
and alert. A lady was left in shock when a man snatched her gold necklace while
she was asleep: I should never put on expensive jewelry or anything valuable for watchful eyes to see - especially at night. I learned the rights of a disabled person, the right to access to any public utility
vehicles.
Well, these are the things I best remember. To those coming from far-flung
provinces and still orienting themselves in riding one of the coolest transports in the city, be not worried. Inside a PUJ you are safe and free unless the driver is reckless, or you are seated beside a holdupper,
or a CITOM tells you Sir, come down. You have been caught for jay walking.
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