THE entry of the modernized jeeps popularly known as beeps in December 2018 was much anticipated by the commuting public because of the ease and comfort it promised in addition to the prospect that it could help solve vehicle congestion owing to its bigger carrying capacity.
Although I have not taken a ride in one of the modern jeeps I can see how relaxed and contented the passengers are every time I chance upon them disembark at the Cebu City Hall area, a designated stop, for the obvious reason that it has air-condition and individual bucket seats.
However, lately, I have been forced to step on my brakes whenever I follow one of the Beeps (bus-jeeps) when it indiscriminately stops to pick up or allow passengers to go down just anywhere without even properly parking their vehicles to give way to other drivers behind them.
My experience and observation were validated by other motorists who were also appalled and expressed their bad experience with Beeps in the Facebook account of Cebu Road Heroes whenever they are driving behind one of the modern jeeps.
To sum up the comments in the thread, the netizens said that what are modernized are only the vehicles, but the attitude of most of the drivers are still atrocious and diabolical and continues to put the lives of other motorists and commuters in danger in an already problematic thoroughfare, instead of being part of the solutions.
While reading old online reports of mainstream media outlets about the operation of Beep, I chanced upon an article that stated that at the start of the operation of the Beeps two years ago, at least 98 drivers from a local transport cooperative of jeepney drivers were hired to drive them.
Did this article answer my confusion and the disbelief of many netizens who expressed dismay over how Beeps transformed itself from an efficient public transport back to being a menace on the street in just two years?
The same article also reported that the Beep drivers are being paid P500 per ten hours of duty, which is why there is no reason they have to be ferocious on the road since they no longer need to cover for the rent, gasoline and a substantial take-home share.
With this retrogression, I don’t know if we still have hope for our public utility drivers or we just leave them as they are and pray for the fast-tracking of the more modern mass transit system being pushed by the allies of President Rodrigo Duterte in the province.
For now, the only solution that I see to manage congestion is for all land transportation regulatory bodies to strictly implement the laws on all types of vehicles, may they be private, public utilities or government-owned. Another thing that we can also try to do to help decongest the road is public vigilance in reporting traffic violations to the proper authorities, complete with photos and videos of the violation as evidence. Posting videos of traffic violations on social media can help, but we could not make authorities accountable if the problem continues to persist.
We can actually do both as long as we are not motivated with malice, vengeance or of casting aspersion in posting photos and videos of traffic violations on social media or we run the risk of facing lawsuits ourselves.