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Transportation

Manila’s Iconic Jeepneys Are One More Casualty of the Pandemic

  • Only 70% of jeepneys in the capital have returned to the road
  • Economy seen growing quickly in 2021 after sharp 2020 drop
A jeepney travels under a bridge with a mural thanking front-line workers in Pampanga.

A jeepney travels under a bridge with a mural thanking front-line workers in Pampanga.

Photographer: Veejay Villafranca/Bloomberg

Nine months after the Philippines stopped public transport amid one of the world’s strictest pandemic lockdowns, the tentative return of jeepneys to Manila’s streets reflects the economy’s halting and uneven road toward recovery.

Mody Floranda has been fighting for the return of the colorful, iconic vehicles, a sort of informal bus for 20 or so passengers modeled around U.S. military jeeps left over from World War II. In normal times, overstuffed jeepneys clog the capital’s roads, with passengers hanging out the back and jumping on and off as the vehicles slow — but may not entirely stop — along the way.