The residents of Metro Manila spend an average of two hours of travel going to work and another two hours going home.
On average, an hour is spent just lining up to wait for a ride. During that time, particularly at the Metro Rail Transit, much energy is spent in pushing and shoving with hundreds of commuters.
In a report from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, it shows the present dismal situation of commuters in a study conducted a group called Komyut, which belongs to the Move Move Move coalition of transport and commuter organizations.
Productivity and precious time are lost during transport due to the lack of predictability and efficiency of public transport.
In the survey, about 400 commuters were asked about their routes, travel time, costs, comments and experiences.
Most of the respondents were from Metro Manila, Cavite, and Bulacan with 59% female with ages ranging from 18 to 35. Darlene Motil of Komyut said Filipinos were spending an “absurd time” on the road: waiting for buses, trains and jeepneys, then crawling through traffic.
Motil added that an efficient commute must follow the 10-10-10-3 principle in which an average commuter must take only 10 minutes to get to the nearest stop; travel 10 kilometers under an hour; wait 10 minutes for a ride; and transfer trips three times to get to the destination.
The survey did not measure the kilometers traveled in under an hour, but it showed that the average commuter waits for 28 minutes a one way ride.
Waiting for a train takes about 26 minutes despite an average three to four minutes train headway. Those who take the bus wait for 22 minutes, for UV Express riders, 40 minutes.
Motil said public transport is unreliable, unsafe and unpredictable for most commuters. But commuters endure the daily painful grind.
She said the results of the survey will be given to the office of Sen. Grace Poe, chair of the Senate committee on public services to help policymakers get a clearer picture of the plight of commuters.
