Mae Ann
How people experience the Philippine urban transportation system in 2030
Mae Ann is a freshman in college. She just moved to the metropolis to stay with her aunt for the duration of her studies, but she needs a part-time job to help with her expenses. Mae Ann has been diligent and was able to line up interviews at 3 different places this week.
Her interviews are on different days and in different parts of the city but all start at 5 PM. She can’t leave school until 4 PM, but she can get to her appointments with time to spare. She’s mapped out her routes using an app that uses public transportation data. She knows what train, bus, or e-jeep to take and how much each ride costs. She can also pay through her phone app. She gets a student discount for the fares, which really helps her student budget.
The information system that helps her with her routes is the same system that makes sure the trains, buses, and e-jeepneys run on time. It makes the whole system very predictable and makes the metropolis easy to navigate, even for newcomers.
The e-jeep she took to go to one appointment fascinated her. She took a picture to share on her social media feed. Like most e-jeeps, the sides were decorated with art by Filipino artists. The paintings are vibrant and celebrate local culture. This one featured a large red cat.
Getting to the appointment scheduled for the next day was a little more involved. She had to transfer from a bus ride to a train and then to a bus again. Despite the transfers, it took only 45 minutes to get to the interview. The transfers were timed well and very easy. No long queues.
It was rainy on the day of the third interview, but Mae Ann wasn’t worried. The public transportation systems still ran like clockwork, even on a rainy day. The streets don’t flood anymore, and the bus and e-jeep stops are covered and well-maintained.
A few days later, Mae Ann got the good news that she was accepted by all three companies. Now all she has to do is decide which 45-minute journey she likes best.
-oOo-
