E-jeepneys set to operate in EDSA this March

 The sudden shifts in global climate proved again a disturbing point people have known for so long: the world is warming and we have to develop measures to prevent or adapt to this change. Government leaders have come up with an agreement to cut down greenhouse gas emissions of their countries, but more and more people the world over believe that everyone from households to private groups should be a stakeholder in this “inconvenient truth” dawning upon us.

In the Philippines, various groups are pushing for efforts big or small to help us adapt to the warming earth. An article by GMA News Online announced that thirty units of an electric jeepney called the City Optimized Management Enviromental Transport (COMET) will start operating on North EDSA to ESDA-Ortigas route on March of this year. E-jeepneys were first introduced comercially in Makati City but it is the first true expansion of this technology in the roads.

The COMET vs. the traditional jeepney. Photo from rappler.com.

Lessening pollution in EDSA is the most obvious benefits of this innovation. The e-jeepney's developer, Global Electric Tranportation claims the COMET does not emit carbon dioxide since it is powered by electricity instead of gasoline. The vehicle becomes fully charged within five hours in 220-volts electricity and also features WiFi connection, flatscreen TV, and security camera.

Efficient? Yes. Enviroment-friendly? Yes. But when it comes to innovations like this, it is best to consider the economic and social repercussions, whether negative or positive. If we replace our traditional jeepneys with the e-jeepneys, a significant number of Filipinos who operate or drive jeepneys owned by others will lose their source of income. After all, it is not very easy to replace the 55,000 traditional jeepneys with the COMET considering the costs of purchasing, operating and maintaining one. Does the Global Electric Transportation plan to independently operate these jeepneys or to privatize it? Does it have plans to sell the technology to local govenments or to democratize this technology by selling this to individuals?

Since the e-jeepney depends on electricity, it demands power from another non-renewable resource. Increase in electricity rates, power shortage, and the maximization of power in this technology will be always be the points of inquiry.

Being skeptic is different from being a laggard, and an innovation will always need to prove its dependability through time. But maybe the COMET will be able to make an organized transportation system Filipinos have long been wishing for.