Congestion costs metro Manila nearly $70 million a day in economic activity, according to the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
The distance is less than two miles. But commuting by car or bus across the murky Pasig River in the heart of this capital city can be a mind-numbing, hourlong exercise in breathing fumes.
Mendez belongs to a band of 25 unlicensed trolley pushers who have offered the service for so long they’ve managed to form their own professional group, the Teresa Trolley Boys Assn., named after the street where they base their headquarters outdoors. “Commuters in metro Manila have been characteristically resilient and resourceful in the face of intensifying traffic congestion and increasing length of travel time,” said John Sidel, a professor at the London School of Economics and an expert on the Philippines. “Their patience in the face of long commutes is nothing short of heroic.”
All told, the city ranks eighth worst in a global traffic index devised by Numbeo, a website that tabulates quality of life data from more than 200 cities. Los Angeles ranked 15th worst. Users of the navigation app Waze have been less forgiving, twice declaring Manila the worst city to drive in, according to the company’s driver satisfaction surveys.
The colorful vehicles began as modified surplus U.S. military jeeps left over from World War II. Today, builders buy the diesel engines off the scrap heap in Japan, giving them a second life. Noel Francisco, who has been pedaling a bicycle version of the sidecar for more than three decades, scoffed at the upgrades.
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