Cruise Around Manila With The "Jeepney"

As a "pimped up" version of the American army Jeep left back in the wars, Jeepney has become the main source of transportation in the Philippines.

If Thailand has the Tuk Tuk, in Manilla, there are Jeepneys. Like no where else in the world, Jeepneys are created by the Filipinos. The motors are taken from the original Jeep while the body was added to make it look longer with 2 rows of seats facing each other. This is like a taxi in the Philippines.

Each Jeepney can carry 8-10 people around the city. The inside of each is almost the same, but the outside is the wild imagination of the drivers or jeepney's owners. Each one is pretty unique with bright, colorful paintings and logos.

The Jeepneys run the street of Manila. It replace taxi and take people to desirable places whenever, wherever, even in small streets as well.

There are no Jeepney in Makati though, where high buildings, luxury apartments, big shopping malls and high amounts of taxi are located. Jeepney has become a symbol of Manila, and Philippines, like the Yellow Cab in New York city.


There's nothing more exciting than sitting in these Jeepneys and discover Manila on a tour around this beautiful modern city.

The driver takes you around through the streets while taking the fees at the same time. Even when there are many people on the ride talking loudly, he still understand and hear your request while taking you to the right place you want to be. You tell the driver where you want to go and he will tell you the price. He do both, driving and collecting money at the same time. Seems like a dangerous practice for typical Westerners.

You will experience a very cool vibe and meet friendly people in Manila. There is no Jeepney's stop like bus stop. You will always find your ride around the nearest corner where they drop customers. Like any community vehicle, you will need to carry some changes as the transaction will happen rather quickly to keep everyone on time.

Make sure you will hang tight while on these Jeepneys as the driver go fast, and break fast. Don't be scare, it just like normal safety procedures on a bus. But it is much better and cooler than a bus.

Colorful features is the main attraction of the Jeepneys. Different drivers have their own imagination and that makes the Jeepney the symbol of Manila. You can almost find these type of transportation anywhere in Manila, even in the gift shops.