WHEN TRANSPORTATION CAUSES SO MUCH PAIN

                                           



AN OPEN LETTER TO OUR CAPITANA:

Dear Capitana Connie, 

I have been mulling over the problem of transportation in our barangay. Actually I brought it up several times with your staff but it has not been solved. Here are my observations of it:

1. The tricycle drivers are the dominant players in the transportation system. They can refuse carriage and are not afraid of being reported at all;

2. They have an erratic fare system. If they know that you pay only P17 as the minimum, then they would mark you as the number one who should not be given carriage. From our house to Aurora Boulevard or to Araneta Avenue near the gasoline station, should be P20, no more no less;

3. Some drivers are so"brusko" that they swerve here and there. Many times my head had bumped the sides and if I so much as complain, they just keep quiet. Some say sorry but that's all'

4. Some tricycles have hard seats, meaning they have no foam. Others have no foamed backs. The worst are those whose backs have flattened nails sticking out; when the vehicle swerves, then your head could hit them. How many of these have different designs that are not passenger-friendly? and 

5. The existing situation is very partial towards those who have private vehicles that they can use any time. 

Here is my suggested solution:

Kindly have the barangay jeep serve as a shuttle that would go the rounds of the barangay every 15 minutes. It would take in passengers and charge P7 per trip. The route could be from Araneta Avenue, going inside Kapiligan, going around, and then coming out of Guirayan, turning right to it, and then back to Kapiligan to go around again. 

In this way, every one will have an option to take the tricycle or the shuttle jeep. 

I noticed that there are many empty jeep bodies by the fence of the barangay. Maybe they could be refurbished, or the barangay can request the more affluent residents to finance its overhauling for the use of the barangay folks. 

I think that privatization of the transportation system in our barangay is unhealthy. It breeds too much greed -- making the drivers always think of earning much instead of service. 

This is like having the PNR trains versus the privatized MRTS. 

Kindly mull over this proposal; the pains from the transportation system in our barangay is too much already;  and I hope this could be implemented right away as the weather is so erratic that we really need available transportation all the time. 

Have a nice day.