In light of the extreme cases of traffic in the Metro, thousands of people agreed with
Enrique Peñalosa when he said that, "A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It's where the rich use public transportation." The quote was reposted in social media, gaining traction when people felt that better public transportation systems needed to be put into place.
It’s no secret that the state of public transportation in the Metro is dismal. With undisciplined bus drivers, reckless jeepney drivers, and some rude taxi operators, the experience can be quite harrowing, especially since most public transportation routes in the city are confusing. Still, with road congestion being a rampant problem, and not everyone being able to afford to take cabs, public transportation is the way to go. But how do you get to where you need to go, when you don’t even know how to “commute” from your home to your workplace?
An organization called
Sakay.ph aims to bring the solution, by offering commuting instructions for wherever you are, whenever you need it.
Sakay.ph began as an online database similar to Google Maps, offering information on which rides to take and where to alight to get from one point to another. Following the mobile revolution in the country, however, it’s transitioned into something more. Reports by the company behind mobile bingo news portal Free Bingo Hunter have said that growth in mobile internet is among the fastest growing trends all over the internet landscape to date, and this is seen in the Philippines quite clearly, with the country reportedly exhibiting a mobile penetration rate of 114% by early 2015. Seeing this trend, Sakay.ph began to offer its services to mobile phone users, similar to how Easy Taxi launched a few years ago.
Lest you confuse the service with apps like Uber and GrabTaxi, however, it’s important to note that the app doesn’t book rides for you. Rather, it empowers commuters by giving them the information they need to be able to take public transportation, letting them know which jeepney routes to take, where to alight, how long the trip will take, and how much the fare should be. Of course, this requires up-to-date information, and this is all sourced from the Department of Transportation and Communication. The app is available on both the
iTunes App Store and the
Google Play Store.
While Sakay.ph isn’t a cure-all, it’s certainly a great resource for anyone who wants to try commuting but has always been afraid to. Used in conjunction with apps from the MMDA and other traffic-reporting apps, it should help the Filipino commuter get where he needs to go.