A commuter in Batagas lamented the lack of public utility vehicles plying the roads to ferry late-night workers and other travelers.
A Filipino on April 7 shared their experience of commuting in the province, particularly from Lipa City to Lemery, in the evening.
The commuter shared that they had to travel to Lipa City for work-related purposes.
Even before going to the city, they noticed it was hard to find a jeep or an e-bus, “almost as if it was still Holy Week.”
“Then I clocked out around 5:55 p.m. and nakarating ako ng SM Lipa terminal around 6:30 (kumain pa ako ng dinner) and sobrang haba na ng pila,” the commuter shared in the “r/pinoy” Reddit community.
The commuter said there were no e-buses around, despite knowing that their last trips are “around 7 to 8 p.m.”
“Sa sobrang haba ng pila, lumipat ako sa Robinsons Lipa Terminal (had to commute ulit) and ganun din, sobrang haba ng pila,” they said.
The commuter shared that they were able to board a jeepney around 8:30 p.m., with the driver saying he was supposed to have already gone home.
“Sabi ng driver, pauwi na siya dapat pero nakita niya na madami pa daw pasahero, kaya pinilit niya pa bumiyahe. And sa sobrang kagustuhan din umuwi ng mga tao, ang iba, sumasabit o umuupo na lang sa sahig para makauwi — matatanda, estudyante, etc,” they said.
“Tayong ordinaryong mamamayan ang laging kawawa,” the commuter said in their post.
Tayong ordinaryong mamamayan ang laging kawawa
by
u/KapengBarako3-in-1 in
pinoy
The Redditor also shared a Facebook post showing commuters waiting for public utility vehicles at 10:25 p.m.
“Kawawa ang mga closing ang uwian. As of 10:25 p.m., mukhang wala ng jeep na nabiyahe ng Cuenca-Alitagtag-Lemery,” the Facebook account said on April 7.
It has been reported that half of the jeepney operators in a major national transport group have already stopped plying their routes due to the high fuel prices.
Others said they only take home P200 to P300 from their daily earnings, with the rest going to fuel expenses.
Petroleum product prices have increased sharply per liter since March, with motorists facing triple-digit costs.
The price hikes have been linked to ongoing tensions in the Middle East involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, which have affected global oil supply and distribution.
