They are a significant part of the problem with congestion in the Philippines. It is not the jeepney, taxi or bus themselves which are the problem. It is a total lack of discipline and poor driving by the drivers of these and other vehicles, which are the problem.
In cities and areas where there are designated bus and jeepney lanes, these are ignored by the drivers who will drive in any lane, and stop anywhere in any lane to pick up and drop off passengers in any lane or junction and by doing so force all other traffic to squeeze past in the remaining lane or space.
A number of towns and Cities have introduced one way systems which rather than easing the flow of traffic and reducing congestion, actually makes the situation worse, by funnelling traffic down roads and into junctions which cannot cope with the number of vehicles.
In rural towns the congestion can be a result of tricylcles which seem to have no concept of driving rules at all and are often seen heading into the flow of traffic the wrong way, ignoring one way signs, and completing turns and maneuvers which make normal drivers slam on their brakes to avoid a collision. Congestion in rural towns is made worse by the constant stream of overloaded trucks which are crawling along at little more than walking pace, with a resultant queue of impatient drivers behind them.
In the big cities there is no viable alternative to the jeepney, vhire and taxi, as there is no affordable alternative form or public transport for the masses. Even in Manila where there is a minimal railway network, along with the LRT and MRT. These services are totally inadequate for the numbers of passengers wishing to travel be it for leisure or just to commute across the city for employment. The limited hours that these services operate only adds to road congestion, often the service has ended before the malls have closed, resulting in workers having to use alternative road transport to get home.
In many other countries metro systems operate late into the night or in some countries 24 hours a day. Operating the LRT or MRT in this manner would go some way to reducing congestion.
In the towns and cities there are often insufficient provision made for parking of vehicles and as a result vehicles are parked in roads or in positions which restrict the flow of traffic. resulting in further congestion.
At the end of the day it is the sheer size of the population, combined with a poorly organized and managed public transport system which when coupled with poor driving standards and in many cases a total disregard for traffic regulations, result in appalling congestion across the Philippines roads.
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