Ground Transportation for The Philippines

Options for traveling within The Philippines for a 21-day period

Outline

1. Car
2. Train / Bus / Air
3. Other Options
4. Estimate of total ground travel expenses

Car

Due to traffic and unorthodox local driving habits, renting a self-drive car or motorcycle is not recommended. However if you would like to travel to places outside of Manilla, a rental car is an excellent option. International car rental companies have rental offices at the airport terminals and some major hotels. Rates are an average of P3000, (58$USD) each day, however local car rental companies tend to be cheaper, but beware of scams. In consideration is the cost of travel insurance which is an extra 204$ USD per day. Although convenient, renting a car from Manila International Airport costs a total of 1,448$ USD. In addition to this hefty price, this type of car has an average of 25mpg, and would cost approximately 8$ USD to fill the tank.

 

 

 

Taxis in Manila are cheap costing P40(.75¢USD) for first meter, then P3.5 for every 300m (or two minutes wait time). Typically a 15-20 minute trip will cost no more than P150 (2.95$USD)

 

 

Train / Bus / Air

My mass transit options are either taking the Light Rail Transit (LRT) or the Metro Rail Transit (MRT). An individual may purchase electronic fares cards good for one trip only however this disingenuous system produces long lines at ticket booths during rush hour. Fares P12 to P15 (~.25 ¢USD) are dependent on distance. Some stations sell prepaid value cards worth up to P100 (1.97$USD) which are valid for 3 months but are difficult to find. Local buses are only useful to get to places off of main roads such as Taft Ave, España Blvd, Buenida, or EDSA. They can cost from P10to P15 (~.20 ¢USD), buses with air-conditioning cost up to  P25 (.49¢USD).

Traveling outside of Manilla may be difficult by bus since there is no central bus terminal. Most bus lines are private operators that serve specific destinations from their own terminals. A prominent bus company is Victory Liner. Bus fares have recently increased from PHP10 to PHP11 and air-conditioned buses from PHP12 to PHP13 for the first five kilometers in Metro Manila.

Air options include both international and domestic. They offer relatively inexpensive rates for a round trip from Manila to other islands on the archipelago. Domestic flights include:

Airphil Express
Cebu Pacific
ITI
Phillipine AirAsia
SEAIR
Sky Pasada
Zest Air

For this specific example, I chose a flight to Kaibo from Manila leaving September 9 on Philippines AirAsia, for 21 nights at 24$.

 

Other options

Kalesa are horse- drawn carriages common in Binondo, Intramuros, and Malate where they are used for tourists and public transport for locals. They typically have fixed rates of about P350 (6.88$USD) for every 30 minutes. These carriages typically fit two to four persons and the fee is good for the entire carriage.

 

 

 

            Another unique form of travel is via Jeepney, this is said to be a challenging experience for first timers. A jeepney is a long-wheel-base jeep although they feature placards with destination on window, few people arrive exactly where they intend to. The following routes are more common:

Heading north from Baclaran, jeepneys pass along Mabini St or Taft Ave, heading off in various directions from Rizal Park.

            -‘Divisoria’ jeepneys take Jones Bridge, passing close to the office of the Bureau of Immigration, and end up at divisorial Market

            -‘Monumento’ jeepneys pass the Manila Central Post office and roll over the MacArthur Bridge before passing the Chinese cemetery and the Caloocan bus terminals

            -‘Quiapo and Cubao’ jeepneys take Quezon Bridge, passing Quiapo Church.’Cubao via España jeepneys continue to the Cubao bus stations via UST and Sampaloc bus stations .

 

 

            Travel by boat is also a feasible mode of transportation. The port of Manila is divided into two sections, South and North Harbor. It is recommended to take a taxi to North Harbor due to limited space available to wander around with luggage, in addition, South Harbor is easier to arrive to. Tickets are sold through any travel agent and at ticket booths in various malls. Here are a list of common companies:

            -Negros Navigation (travel2go)
            -SuperFerry(travel2go)
            -Moreta Shipping Lines
            -Romblon Shipping Lines

 

 

 

Estimate of total ground travel expenses

The total cost of traveling within Manilla in The Philippines for a three week period with a car rental may cost up to 2,000$ however, without a car rental transportation costs may be mitigated to less than 700$. It is very important to  find budget friendly methods and use common sense by doing the research necessary to avoid scams, it is possible to travel throughout the Philippines on a student budget.

Submitted by Suzanne Lopez on 12 Mar 2020.