Dindin
How people experience the Philippine urban transportation system in 2030
Dindin is a novice e-jeepney driver. She applied and got accepted, and she’s been going through the government-mandated training program for all would-be e-jeep drivers. Today is her last day of training, and then tomorrow, she can officially start as a certified e-jeepney driver.
The training program takes about three months and is conducted by cooperatives and other certified NGOs. It includes training in the “hard skills” like safe, defensive driving, road courtesy, safety around people on bikes and pedestrians, simple e-jeep maintenance, and running the e-jeep’s onboard data system. It also includes training in critical “soft skills” like treating customers with respect, especially the elderly, women, and people with disabilities. Trainees are paired with mentors, e-jeepney drivers with lots of experience, and must learn the routes for a month before being allowed to drive. The would-be drivers learn that being a transport worker is all about public service and making our cities and towns work better for our kabayans.
Dindin didn’t finish high school, so her job prospects were limited. There were lots of factory jobs and jobs in retail in the booming economy, but she wanted a job where she could manage herself and with a real path to the middle class. A cousin told her to seek advice from Lola Aabidah, one of the elders of the community. Lola Aabidah suggested she look into becoming an e-jeepney driver. E-jeepney drivers and operators earn a good living, and it was a good way to move up the economic ladder.
Dindin took to the idea and convinced her sister Maricel to pool money with her to apply for an e-jeepney lease. Maricel, who just had her first child, worked in retail, but her husband had landed a government job with more secure wages. Maricel and her husband had some spare savings to invest.
The e-jeepney leasing program required applicants to be members of cooperatives or volunteer service groups. And so, Dindin joined a faith-based volunteer group and spent six months in community service (where she was paid a weekly allowance) before she was accepted into the driver training program.
Dindin’s last training day starts at 7 AM when she meets her mentor Tatay Efren. This is also Efren’s last day before he retires, then Dindin takes over Efren’s permit and vehicle. Dindin proudly wears the e-jeepney driver uniform that signals her commitment to excellence and service. Tomorrow, she can take off the badge that marks her as a “TRAINEE.”
Dindin is at the terminal 15 minutes before 7 AM, and she meets Tatay Efren, who lets her start up Efren’s beloved e-jeep with the distinctive red cat art. Dindin switches on the vehicle’s onboard data system that powers up the communications system, the vehicle location system, and the cashless fare collection system.
The systems keep the driver and the e-jeep in touch with the System Manager. The System Manager is a technical agency that manages the algorithms that coordinate all the public transportation vehicles on the road. The onboard system helps Dindin manage her trip, so she keeps a good distance from other drivers and gives passengers a steady, predictable flow of e-jeeps on any route. The System Manager times Dindin’s arrival at stations, so it makes it easier for passengers to transfer to trains, buses, or other jeeps. The System Manager also makes sure Dindin doesn’t have to wait in the queue for very long. Passengers can pay their fares through cards, through their phones, or through other gadgets.
The day goes smoothly. After the novice and the experienced driver pull into the terminal, the last time for Tatay Efren, the last time as a trainee for Dindin, the pair spends 15 minutes in the daily practice of “kaizen,” or constant improvement. They talk about how the day went: what went well, what didn’t go well, and what Dindin would do tomorrow to make things better.
Over the last week of training, Tatay Efren made sure that Dindin is familiar not only with the practice of kaizen, the systems, and the routes but also with Tatay Efren’s regular customers. Dindin understands the responsibility she carries and hopes that she can build the same relationship of trust Tatay Efren has had with the people who depend on public transportation.
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