Now, not only is your driver negotiating Manila traffic, scanning for customers, he is also making change. The majority of jeepney drivers are very competent if somewhat erratic. I have often marveled at their ability to take their vehicles into spaces I was pretty sure they wouldn’t fit and to do so at speed.

If your Tagalog isn’t up to counting, hand signals will suffice for the number of fares you want. Index finger for one; V symbol for two; middle, ring and little fingers for three; four fingers for four and add a thumb for five.

A sense of geography is handy but not a pre-requisite as jeepneys traverse a pretty much pre-determined route and as long as you know where you have come from you can catch one going back the way you came. There are literally dozens of them passing any given point most hours of the day. Ok, between 1 am and 5 am they do become a bit thin on the ground. That is when taxis come into their own, assuming of course that the driver wants to go where you do.

Jeepneys are a great way to explore the Philippines and get a sense of the place from the local’s perspective. They are the preferred means of local transport for the majority of the population and there is always room for one more, if not in this one, then in the one behind it.