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The planned route

The beginning

Back in 1991, when I first went to live in the Philippines, I fell in love with the jeepney and how it worked as a mode of transport. It became a dream to get one back to the United Kingdom.

Last year I was finally in a position to put this into practice. Rather than send it back to Britain in a container, why not try to drive it overland? So began journeyinajeepney. I found a co-pilot in Becky Hale, a friend from Norfolk I first met when I moved there 10 years ago. I went back to the Philippines in October 2003 to find a jeepney assembler in Baguio, North Luzon. By February 2004 the vehicle was ready to leave from Manila port for Bangkok, Thailand.

So far the jeepney has travelled from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, then across Thailand through Laos and into Vietnam at Lao Bao. Currently it is in Hanoi, and hopefully on May 15th will be entering China. We have received much support from the Philippine Embassies in Thailand, Vietnam and China, and also from the UK-based non-government organization, Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO). I used to be a volunteer with them in the Philippines. One aspect of the journey is to visit and document some of the positive environmental projects in Asia, by visiting and videoing their activities.

The journey will continue through China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and Germany on the way back to Norwich England. The map gives an idea of the route we will be taking. Of course nothing is definite yet at the moment! On something like this, there is only so much can be planned in advance.

I hope to develop this website to explain more about the journey, the philosophy behind the jeepney, and the environmental projects we hope to visit along the way.

Also I hope that people travelling in China or Kazakhstan during May or June might want to get in touch, and maybe come and journey part of the way with us. Get in touch!

FAQ about jeepneys

What exactly is a jeepney?
A jeepney is a van sized vehicle used for just about everything in the Philippines. There are three main types ? cargo jeepneys, which have a cab and then a load space behind in which any goods ? from water melons to water buffaloes ? can be loaded. Then there are PUJ?s ? Public Utility Jeepneys and Private (Family) jeepneys. These are passenger vehicles with a door at the rear and kitted out with two bench seats along the length of the vehicle, and a seat crossways in the cab. PUJ?s pick up paying passengers but Family jeeps are generally kept for private use.

As you can see from the pics, the front looks much like the US Army jeepney. Behind that is the cab, then the passenger compartment which looks very much like a horsecart (Surrey with a fringe on top?)

When did jeepneys first appear?
Back in 1953 or so Leonardo Sarao, a horse drawn carriage driver, started to convert some of the thousands of US military jeeps left behind in the Philippines. He put a roof on the top and lengthened the back to take more passengers on each side. They proved so popular he opened a factory south of Manila, and Sarao became the first name amongst jeepneys. Pretty soon the supply of American jeeps dwindled as more workshops began around the country. So nowadays the chassis, engine and running gear all come from Japanese light trucks. It's all "surplus", ie second hand. The bodywork and interior are from sheet steel, and just about any bits of metal that happen to be about.


How do you ride a jeepney?
In theory nothing could be easier! In towns, jeepneys run on fixed routes, the origin, destination and other points of note listed along the side ? so in Baguio you get the full mixture of American, Filipino and Spanish culture Navy Base - Dominican Road ? Atok Trail, or the bizarrely romantic Honeymoon-Holy Ghost-Plaza for example. So all you need to do is stand by the side of the road, and stick your arm out. A passing jeepney will swerve across all the traffic to collect you. You clamber aboard and squeeze into a space on the bench seat, and hand your fare to the person next to you. It then gets passed forward from person to person to the driver, and any change gets passed back. Honest! Nothing ever gets nicked. When you get to where you want, tap on the roof or call out ?para?, and the jeepney will let you off right there! However, complications spring up because: on one road there might be many different jeepney routes so it is easy to get the wrong one. Also do you know where to get off? In Manila especially one building looks much like another, and most roads are unlabelled. Directions like ?next to the MacDonalds? are particularly useless because there are so many of the things. Of course, you could just ask?

In the rural provinces most jeepneys start from a terminal and to ensure a seat it's best to go there. Foreigners tend to ask silly questions like ?What time does the jeepney leave?? When it is full, of course!

How many people can you get aboard a jeepney?
The proper answer is "just one more!" Jeepneys are measured in the number of people you can fit along one of the bench seats, usually 7 seater or 9 seater. That means 9 on each side, plus two in front with the driver. However, 1 or 2 can hang off the back when it's full. Needless to say the standard bum measurement does not take into account the larger figure, so if you are the ninth one on, there's a lot of squeezing to be done.

That's in Manila. On a rural jeepney the sky is literally the limit. Firstly the front row can take 5 - usually a pretty girl between the driver and the door! With 9+9 on the back benches, there's often then a wooden bench slotted inbetween for another 7. Then a plank goes across the back entrance - 2 more. Hanging off the back - at least 8. The roof can take another 25 more (generally men on the roof). Finally people hang on the sides and even sit on the front mudguards, taking it up to 100 people altogether!

People have their favourite spots - 'tail gunner' either side of the back door or 'riding shotgun', the front passenger seat next to the door. Mind you don't get shunted into the middle though where you bang your knees on the gearstick.

Are there any women jeepney drivers?
The jeepney driver's association (FEDOJAP) assure me they have at least five female members in Manila. However I have never had a ride with any of them.

What makes jeepneys so special?
Every one is unique in style. Paintwork is outrageous, yellows and reds especially. There are lots of spaces for names and slogans - often to do with the family - like "Four Brothers", or girlfriends or children's names. There might be a clue as to where the money came from to by in "Katas Saudi" (Juice of the Saudi) or "California Dreamin'". Drivers treat them like an extension to their home, so messages like "Welcome to My World" or "Hello Friend, Come Aboard" adorn the back. There are warnings to other drivers - "Keep Distance" typically.

Inside there might be any of the following:
* a padded or even mirrored ceiling
* a sign reminding passengers "Bayad Muna Bago Baba" (pay before getting off) or Barya Lang Sa Umaga Po (Small change only in the morning please - jeepney drivers are not rich people!)
* a speedometer which never works
* a tiny space to look through the centre of the windscreen, virtually obscured by a crocheted sign with "God Save Us" or more worryingly "God Help Us", a plastic saint, dried flowers, nodding dogs, and tax discs for the last sixteen years except the current one
* a very loud cassette player
* any number of entirely decorative lights built into the dashboard

Are jeepneys a sustainable mode of transport?
I differ with many other people. It's true many jeepneys emit clouds of black diesel smoke, but the problem is the ancient worn out engine needs servicing, not the jeepney itself is at fault. Jeepneys move around 70% of commuters in Manila - the traffic would be even more chaotic if all those folk transferred to private cars or taxis. The dense network of routes provides a quick and efficient and incredibly cheap mode of travel - it's possible to travel across the main part of Manila for less than 10 pence.

I'd like to see engines cleaned up, which probably means government assistance for drivers. Sadly, many government officials would rather see them banned, blaming the jeepney for the traffic jams which prevent them getting to work in their Pajeros.

Are jeepneys an endangered species?
I'm pleased to say that despite my fears that they were being banned, and that the Sarao factory had closed due to falling sales, there seem to be more jeepneys than there were ten years ago. Long may it continue!

I took the name and basic design for my jeep from one I rode on in Occidental Mindoro.

It was the only jeepney to serve the village of Salvacion, and just like Postman Pat, it would do everything for the people there. It would set off every morning with passengers and produce (fish, pigs, coconuts) and come back with things they couldn't make - shoes, coca-cola, and salt. Even if you couldn't travel yourself, you could hand over your shopping list, or letters to post. It was a beautiful midnight blue with a big stainless water tank on the roof.

My jeepney is built in Baguio in the mountains, so unlike Manila jeeps it has windows and doors to keep out the cold, and it is tough and robust for mountain roads - useful for Norfolk too!

It's a little bit taller inside than the ordinary jeep, so it's more comfortable for me than ones built for Filipinos; it's got benches that fold into a bed; and it's got traditional fabric for the upholstery. Contrary to newspaper reports it does not have a drinks cabinet or a Karaoke player (yet).

Outside there are pictures of rice terraces, a water buffalo, a kingfisher, and the Philippine Eagle - the world's largest and very endangered. There are more picures at the Philippine Daily Inquirer webpage:
www.inq7.net/nat/2004/feb/08/nat_12-1.htm

For the more technically minded here are some of the specifications:

MIKE AND KIDS WORKSHOP
PASSENGER TYPE JEEPNEY

Vehicle specification:

Jeepney light truck
Two wheel drive (rear wheel drive), two axled vehicle with power assisted steering
Two side doors, rear access doors

Assembler: Mike and Kids, Kilometer 4, Marcos Hi-way, Baguio City, Philippines
Date of Assembly: November 2003 until January 2004

Chassis: Isuzu Elf
Chassis number: STM20039833 - C
Bodywork: welded steel frame and galvanized sheet bodywork

Suspension: front - single point mounted leaf springs
rear - twin mounted leaf springs

Brakes: front and rear Nissan drum brakes

Tyres:front
rear

Engine: Isuzu 4BD Diesel Turbo, 4 cylinder, 3.8 litres,
Serial number: 1263251

Fuel capacity: 60 litres (diesel)

Exhaust: steel exhaust and silencer

Electrical: 24 volt system, front headlights, front and rear sidelights, indicator (signal) lights, brake lights, reversing lights, and license plate lights, front fog lights

Front window: laminated glass, 2 x windscreen wipers
Side windows: toughened glass

Net Weight: 1600 kilograms
Maximum Gross Weight: 3200kilograms
Dimensions:
overall length -228 inches (cm)
width (cm)
height (cm)

Colour: Midnight blue with yellow, orange and red striping. Philippine flag on bonnet. Paintings of mountain views on the sides.