Jeepney drivers cope with rising fuel costs by doing half-day work, living in jeeps

Jeepney drivers in Manila feeling the pinch of rising fuel prices have resorted to several ways to save their hard-earned money.

Some drivers do half-day work, while others chose to just make their jeepneys their home as the prices of fuel increased yet again, according to a report by Nico Waje on Unang Balita on Tuesday.

Oil firms implemented a major hike in the prices of petroleum products effective Tuesday, marking the second straight week of increases in the country.

Prices per liter of gasoline went up by P2.80, diesel by P2.25, and kerosene by P2.40 on Tuesday, January 24.

Lucito de Veyra, a jeepney driver plying the Sta. Ana-Padre Faura route, starts his working day at 3:30 a.m. and finishes by 11 a.m. He used to do a full straight day of driving.

"Ganu'n din naman pag-i-straight [ng buong araw]. Ang laki ng ano, ng krudo 'pag i-straight. Itong krudo ngang ito, 'pag garahe ko, ang krudo niyan mga P700. Eh kung nag-straight ka, mahigit isang libo, P1,500. 'Di halos wala ka nang matira doon," de Veyra said.

(If I work straight for a full day, that will require much fuel. The fuel I have now, when I bring the jeepney at the garage [after a half-day's work], costs P700. The fuel cost will be as much as P1,500 if I work the whole day. Almost nothing will be left of my earnings.)

De Veyra said his goal is to earn P500 a day. Of this amount, P250 will go to his family's food, P100 for his own food while he is on the road, and P150 will go to house rent.

Other drivers like Anthony Ganados gave up renting altogether and just decided to live in their jeepneys.

"Mahal kasi ang upa eh. Tumaas ang upa ngayon, 'di tulad dati, ano lang, dalawang libo, ganu'n. Ngayon eh lima," Ganados said.

(The rent is expensive. The rental fee increased. It used to be only P2,000 a month. Now it's P5,000.)

Chito Calebag, another driver plying the same route, has decided to just go home to his family in Fairview in Quezon City every two weeks to save on fuel.

"'Pag inuwi ko pa ito, malaki na 'yung diesel na kakainin pauwi sa amin. Pabalik pa," he said.

(If I bring this jeepney home, it will eat up a lot of diesel going there and going back here.)

The fuel going to his house in Fairview, Quezon City and back to Manila would be equivalent to two rounds of trips, he said.

Calebag is able to send P1,000 every two days to his family with this setup.

The drivers said they will just increase the number of trips they make, and be patient in falling in line at the terminal as going around to pick up passengers would just waste up more fuel. —KG, GMA Integrated News