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Manila’s Colorful Jeepneys Make Way for Carbon-Free Minibuses

The government is trying to rid the streets of the emissions-heavy vehicles, but drivers making $12 a day say they need more financial support to make the shift. 

The Philippines is pursuing a plan to replace highly polluting jeepney models with modern minibuses that run on cleaner fuels or electricity.

The Philippines is pursuing a plan to replace highly polluting jeepney models with modern minibuses that run on cleaner fuels or electricity.

Photographer: Veejay Villafranca/Bloomberg

They vanished from Philippine roads in the thick of one of the world’s strictest pandemic lockdowns. Now, Manila’s colorful jeepneys may disappear for good as the government seeks to cut planet-warming emissions.

The Southeast Asian nation is pursuing a plan to replace highly polluting jeepney models with modern minibuses that run on cleaner fuels or electricity. But the program is facing pushback from drivers who need more financial support to make the shift, putting at risk the country’s goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by the end of the decade from 2020 levels.