Jeepney: experience riding in the roof, It's More Fun in the Philippines

Where can you see a Jeep which is so strong that it could carry passengers even up on its roof.  Well, Jeepney is a proudly pinoy made car which runs in a purely robust steel which is perfectly shaped for this purpose. The word Jeepney came from a combination of words “Jeep” and “Knee” because passengers are sitting side-by-side and facing with other passengers and their knees are meeting together.

Jeepneys are the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They say, Jeepneys were originally patterned from US military jeeps used by soldiers in World War II and are known for their flamboyant decoration and crowded seating. They have become a ubiquitous symbol of Philippine culture.

Famous manufacturers of Jeepneys in the Philippines can be found in Cebu City and in Las Pinas City. When I was still young the name that I could remember was “Sarao” because everytime I would jump-in the jeepney for a ride, I could see the name of “Sarao”.

It’s more fun riding the jeepney, aside from a cheap ride, there are jeepneys that are fully equipped with sound system and improvised gadgets such as a pully-string to signal the driver for stopping, full packed car horn sound effects where some of them are really funny. Inside the jeepney, you can also see some meaningful sayings written on hanging boards.

Uh! by the way, nowadays, some jeepneys are already air-conditioned.  Their body paintings have different patterns and colorful images using air-brush made by local artists.

If you got a chance to travel to our country, you should experience the fun in riding jeepneys.  If you don't know some of the places yet, just look at the front board of the jeepney as it indicates its destinations. Or you could just simply ask the driver.

Don't forget to bring "barya" (coins) as one of the meaningful sayings says "Barya lang po sa umaga" (meaning: You must only pay coins in the morning).