E-jeepneys make maiden commercial run in Makati

Posted on July 2, 2008

THE electric-powered jeepneys, or e-jeepneys, finally hit the streets of Makati City, the country’s business capital, following its inaugural commercial run Tuesday morning.

The group Green Renewable Independent Power Producer (GRIPP) and Greenpeace led the formal launching of the e-jeepneys, which will now ply regular commuter routes in Makati City just like regular jeepneys.

It is the first public-transport system of its kind in Southeast Asia and is part of the Climate-Friendly Cities project, an integrated transport and waste-management initiative pioneered by a consortium of organizations led by GRIPP with Greenpeace, together with various cities and private-sector players.

The project demonstrates that cities can take the lead in helping address climate change by promoting public transport fueled by more ecologically friendly fuels tied in with renewable energy-based technologies, according to Greenpeace.

The e-jeepneys ply their commercial route three days to the year since the first two test units were launched in Makati City. The Department of Transportation and Communication’s Planning and Transport Division only released the e-jeepney’s guidelines for registration on April 28, which legally allowed it on public roads.

The final step is to obtain a franchise from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). The application remains pending.

Four units made locally by GRIPP partner Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturers Association of the Philippines will initially make its rounds in Legazpi and Salcedo Villages in Makati. The number will steadily be increased to 50 as new routes are determined.

The fare is waived for the first couple of weeks while the LTFRB’s decision is pending.

“After a long period of waiting. We are very happy that e-jeepneys have now been given the green light to ply commercial routes first in the city of Makati, one of our champion cities. Soon the e-jeepney will be in the cities of Puerto Prinsesa, Bacolod and Baguio,” said GRIPP chairman Athena Ballesteros.

“The electric jeepney is a win-win solution for all stakeholders. It provides a climate-friendly alternative to polluting, fossil-fuel-based modes of transport, and enhanced income to jeepney drivers. The government should be embracing this project, instead of letting the proponents suffer from long delays in licensing and registration procedures,” she added.

“Given the skyrocketing fossil-fuel prices and the imminent threat of dangerous climate change caused largely by fossil fuels, innovations such as the e-jeepney, which promote renewable-energy solutions, should be the technology of choice of developing countries like ours. The Philippines stands to lose opportunities with the current oil crisis, and we stand to lose even more lives and livelihoods with the onset of severe climate-change impacts,” said Greenpeace Southeast Asia executive director Von Hernandez.

“Clearly, urgent solutions are needed. Aside from initiatives by cities such as this project, the national government should institute large-scale climate-change solutions, such as phasing out coal-fired power plants, and the immediate passage of strong renewable-energy legislation by the Senate.”

The project is sponsored in part by the Dutch Doen Foundation and is currently supported by Makati, Baguio, and Puerto Princesa. Business Mirror

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