The Impact of Commuting on Individuals especially on Students’ Performance.

APP-002

MUSA, JIN EDUARD G.
HUMSS12 - SJ2

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of commuters in Phinma Araullo University, San Jose Campus, the impact of length of commute on
student's health, and the association between length of commute and academic performance. I conducted a cross-sectional study at Araullo l University. It included students 18 years of age and above, regardless of gender, nationality, and year of study, enrolled across the various strand in Araullo University, including science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) and one hundred students actively participated in our self-administered questionnaire. through an online survey, Our study determined statistically significant associations between commuting and a variety of factors such as physical difficulties, stress, the prevalence of accidents, sleep schedule, etc. Our study concluded that students having
longer commutes experienced significant physical difficulties, higher levels of stress, and an increased risk of accidents.
Furthermore, we found that students with increased commute times also seemed to lose sleep more frequently than those with
shorter commute times. In addition, our study established that commute harms academic performance, as students who commuted for extended periods were shown to have decreased academic performance in addition to having less time to study.

| KEYWORDS: Commute, Academic performance, Medical Students, Mental Health.

Introduction

With growing urbanization (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2019), rising decentralization of suburban areas, and a year-after-year trend demonstrating an increase in the number of road motor vehicles (Timmons, 2022), the time people spend commuting has escalated over the past decade ( Philippines Bureau, 2019; Central Statistics Office Philippines, 2016). In an age wherein almost all high school students travel to schools using some form of transport, this poses severe potential drawbacks concerning academic performance, health, anxiety, and stress.
According to the Cambridge dictionary, a commuter is defined as someone who regularly travels between work and home
(Commuter, 2022). This study focuses on a particular subset of commuters, high school students; these are students whose place of residence while attending school is not in a campus residence hall, fraternity, or sorority house.
Studies show that most students opt to commute every day instead of living on campus (Nelson et al.,2016; Philippines. Department of
Education, 1996). This can be due to a multitude of reasons, be it financial as dorms can be expensive to stay in, students preferring to be closer to family, lack of on-campus availability, etc.

The Impact of Commute on Students’ Performance

There are many different forms of transport that students can utilize to get from their place of residence to their schools or university, such as bus, cab, train, or car. It is essential, however, to keep in mind that in a city like San Jose City, Nueva Ecija, where some report was conducted, the various forms of public transport are overwhelmed. This study aims to assess the commute's impact on student performance. This was measured by assessing the impact of commute duration on key performance indices, including academic performance, health outcomes, stress, and physical difficulty (McConnell
et al., 2010; Hansson et al., 2011). Furthermore, it aimed to elucidate the various ways in which commute can be ameliorated and made more bearable. We felt as a group that it is vital to draw light to this tremendously important topic as we believe it represents a crucial area of socioeconomic interest. Commute time and duration can have an overall detrimental effect on a high school student's
academic performance, mental state, and physical well-being, which in turn have subsequent ripple effects on the broader populous (Nelson et al.,2016).
We believe that an enhanced understanding of the commute and its implications on college students can aid policymakers and lawmakers in implementing efficient and sustainable transport systems for the average commuter, which can ease travel and its associated stressors.

Background

The daily struggle of the Filipino commuter consists mainly of hours of waiting for a ride and getting stuck in traffic snarls that reflect a serious transport supply shortage, exacerbated by an inefficient and unintegrated public transport network.

According to a survey on mobility in the Philippines on June 2022, 29 percent of respondents stated that they spent an average of 15 to 29 minutes daily when commuting to work, school, or university. Meanwhile, 26 percent of respondents said they spent an average of 30 to 59 minutes commuting daily.

Fast forward to 2022, most notably after the national elections, protocols have become lenient more than ever, until such time that public utility vehicles (PUVs) have become fully operational again sans physical distancing. Face mask use is still encouraged especially indoors, but is now optional in large, open spaces.

Public transportation is back, but so did the common commuter problems that were ever-present in pre-pandemic times. They're back to inconvenience Filipinos, and it seems that surmounting these commuter challenges is a Herculean task requiring, among others, efficient law enforcement, Metro Manila decongestion, and immediate government intervention.

In this article, the most infamous commuter problems in the Philippine setting will be tackled, as well as a few solutions to at least alleviate the daily struggles of the overly exhausted, stressed, and sleepless commuting Pinoys.

Current Status of Commuters

Now that economic activities are returning to normal operations, more Filipinos are out and about without the proper public transport system to support them. Time that was supposed to be productive has now been wasted commuting from one place to another.
For the longest time, commuting in the Philippines has been a major headache. Hours burned in traffic, unclear pickup and drop-off locations, lack of pedestrian support on the roads, and a complete disregard for the drivers’ welfare all add up to making sure that Filipinos have one of the worst commuting experiences in the world.
In order to contextualize the gravity of the situation, consider the numbers. Back in 2019, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) labeled Metro Manila as the most congested city in developing Asia as it housed more than 13 million individuals. In December 2021, the number of registered vehicles in the Philippines reached 4,951,662. According to Statista, the number of train passengers alone has reached 103 million. And to think, most of these numbers were recorded during the times of COVID-19 lockdowns with reduced economic activities.
5 Common Commuter Problems in the Philippines
As we slowly go back to old times albeit with a face mask for protection from airborne viruses, let's take a look at the massiveness of commuter problems in the country. They are symptomatic of a transportation disease that needs an overhaul as soon as possible. Let's discuss them here and find some solutions to this decade-old problem in mass transportation.

1. Traffic jams seem insurmountable
In his paper “Public Transport Rationalization As A Means To Sustainability,” Dr. Cresencio Montalbo Jr. reported that there are over 8.96 million people who ride jeepneys daily in the Philippines, while 1.87 million commuters hop on buses. However, that only makes up 22 percent of people who ride on Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs), the rest are private car owners, according to Move As One Coalition.

This paints an unsightly picture of traffic jams caused by the massive number of private cars outnumbering public transport. Adding insult to injury, Manila was ranked eighth with the worst traffic in the world, with a 43 percent congestion level and a total of 98 hours of traffic loss yearly, a research by GoShorty, an insurance technology site, reported.

The terrifying effect is not best seen in statistics, but in the actuality of struggles being felt by daily commuters, who have to endure longer trip times, shorter attention spans, increased stress levels, inadvertent tardiness to work, or simply wasted moments spent sitting on traffic that doesn't seem to move until all commuters reached a certain degree of anger and hunger.

2. Fare hikes are an added financial burden
Expensive fares have a direct correlation with increasing gas prices. Mass transport groups, as they should, demand the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to respond to their call for fare hikes due to increasing gas prices. The livelihood of PUV drivers are adversely affected too.

Fare increases vary from PUV types. Since October 3, the fare hikes have been approved by LTFRB. For traditional PUJs, it will be P12 from P11, while the modern PUJs are P14 from P13. The minimum fare for AUVs and SUVs is P55 from P50, while the minimum base fare for an ordinary city bus is P13 from P11, and it's P2.25 from P1.85 per kilometer. The flagdown rate for taxis, meanwhile, is at P45 from P40.

Add that to the increasing commodity prices, Filipinos are at the receiving end of the Philippine Peso reaching its all-time-low (P58.84 per 1 USD as of this writing) in its conversion rate against the powerful US dollar.

3. Long lines at PUV stations
Around 45.6 million commuters rode the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) last year, constituting an average daily ridership of 136,935 in Metro Manila.

According to statistics, there were more than a hundred million passengers on train rides alone in 2021. A long queue of people is a terrible sight that the riding public is used to seeing during rush hour, but it doesn't mean they grew indifferent to them. Long lines in train stations and bus stops are indicative of the lack of efficient public transport, made worse by traffic caused by private cars dominating public thoroughfares. It's also common to see people making do with standing inside a bus that has reached its passenger limit, if only to reach their destination on time. Never mind arriving at work haggard, it's better than being late and risking termination due to unintentional tardiness repeatedly.

With face-to-face classes fully implemented after two years of distance learning, students are being met with a problem not as students but as commuters of an inefficient mass transport system, as seen in ridiculously long lines at ticketing booths and PUV stations.

4. Unwalkable sidewalks for pedestrians
Pedestrians-unfriendly sidewalks are also a problem commuters face daily. Inaccessible for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) too, and unaccommodating for senior citizens, which is another testament to how the country is mired with transport problems that go beyond vehicular queuing.

In saying so, streets and cities must become people-oriented rather than centric on cars. There is an impending need for more laws to benefit commuters and the system of public transportation. Public service must be delivered not toward the welfare of vehicles, but of people and commuters braving their days on the way to work as they fulfill their roles as breadwinners and students as the hope of our nation.

5. Overall inferiority of mass transport system
It's a massive problem Filipinos struggle with since time immemorial, and authorities need to act to ease the traffic crisis, among many other transport ills plaguing Metro Manila, Quezon City, and other urbanized cities across the country. A car-centric transport system, traffic congestion, and failure of law enforcement contribute to the deterioration of the country's mass transport dilemma.

To be fair, several infrastructures are underway to aid the country's transportation system. The MRT-7, the NLEX Connector España Section, and even in legislature — the No Garage, No Registration Act was filed in Congress to address illegal parking and curb the traffic crisis. And the Magna Carta for Commuters, which aims to “enumerate and uphold the rights of the commuting public." The challenge now is in the success of law enforcement.

My Position

I'm Musa, Jin Eduard G. from HUMSS12 SJ2,
one of the biggest problems in the Philippines is the problem of public transportation, especially in Metro Manila. Students and employees in Metro Manila nowadays must allot so much time to travel in their daily schedule. Surely it is difficult but essential for commuters to line up exhaustingly just to get a ride at theMetro Rail Transit, Light Rail Transit, UV Express, and jeeps. The main problems in the Public Transportation Crisis are traffic, which is hard for the government to solve because of numerous land motor vehicles and decrepit trains. They said that there is no solution to solve the traffic problem in Metro Manila, which is not right. Traffic problems are one of the main obstacles in Metro Manila, which is happening nowadays. According to a study, it commonly takes Filipinos an hour and six minutes to squeeze through the roads because of the traffic. The Land Transportation Office reported that the National Capital Region accounted for the highest number of registered motor vehicles at 1,644,932. In EDSA, that the average daily volume of cars passingEDSA was 251,628, dwarfing public utility buses that averaged 13,356. Then, if the government limits the bus franchises and other motor vehicles, it will give a small progression to solve Public Transportation Crisis in
Metro Manila. Another problem in this crisis is the LRT’s and MRT’s, LRT 1 has been operational for 35
years, MRT for 20 years and LRT2 for 16 years. These trains built in the era of President Marcos, all of these
trains were experiencing technical issues because it’s been a long time. Besides, the Japan International
Cooperation Agency or JICA reported in February this year that the country loses ₱3.5 billion opportunities a day because of traffic jams in Manila. In 2014, the loss suffered was at
₱2.4 billion. Hit fast-forward to 2035 this said to reach ₱5.4 billion a day should the government neglect to take proactive measures. As a student I positively believe that if the government implements ways into action and if everyone does his or her part, traffic can be good and we can enjoy the road. The major problem in Public Transportation Crisis is traffic. We can overcome the problem in the Transportation Crisis if we solve the problem by limiting motor vehicles, removing old trains, and replacing new one. Therefore, commuters will not suffer Public transportation will be back to normal, and there’s no traffic in Metro Manila especially in other provinces like Nueva Ecija.

Solutions and Recommendations

8 Helpful Steps for Solving the Problems of Public and Urban Transport

1. Development of Additional Road Capacity.
2. Traffic Management Measures.
3. Effective Use of Bus Service.
4. Parking Restrictions.
5. Promoting the Bicycle.
6. Encouraging Walking.
7. Promoting Public Transport.

Q1. How can we improve public transportation in the Philippines?

Giving Public Transport Road Priority
The efficiency of public transport could be largely improved by giving priority to buses, trams, and other public vehicles on the road. This can be achieved through the implementation of more bus lanes, also known as 'queue jump' lanes.

Lessen private cars and improve public transportation; public transportation should have great proportions than private transportation,

More functional trains, wider roads. Use water transportation especially near rivers as an alternative. Remove all road obstructions. Make a rule where people can only have a few cars because many cars are really the cause of traffic.

Conclusions
This study aimed to assess the impact that commute had on critical factors of the commuters and student performance such as academic performance, physical health, and social well-being. This results showed that commute has a generalized negative effect on students' health and academic performance. We believe the insights yielded by this paper can be used to create awareness of commute detrimental effects and hopefully encourage policymakers to implement strategies aiding in the development of infrastructure encouraging reduced commute duration. Our study was limited in so far as it was conducted within the premises of Phinma Araullo University, San Jose Campus and, therefore, may not accurately reflect the experiences of all high school students. Lastly, we believe further research undertaken in this area should survey a larger population as the study pool we surveyed for this paper was relegated to one university and also I implemented other research on the current situation of commuters in Metro Manila, I also gathered some relevant information in this paper.

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