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City transport
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Roads in Manila these days seem to be in a permanent state of advanced gridlock, a result of the capital's rising population and poor infrastructure. There are so many vehicles fighting for every inch of road space that at peak times it can be a sweaty battle of nerves just to get a few hundred metres. Walking is usually out of the question, except for short distances, because buses and jeepneys belch smoke with impunity, turning the air around major thoroughfares into a chewable toxic cloud. The new MetroStar light rail system along EDSA does not seem to have eased the snarl.
It's relatively easy to get around Manila by taxi as long as you don't mind the occasional bout of wearisome haggling. Many taxi drivers are happy to turn on their meters, while others insist on starting even the shortest journey with a long negotiation. Most taxis are air-conditioned and charge an initial P20 plus P1 for every 200 metres. Trips of a couple of kilometres will be about P40 to P50. The LRT (light rail transit) is an elevated railway that runs from Baklaran in the east (near the airport) to Monumento at Caloocan City in the north. Trains run frequently from 5.30am to 9pm and the fare is a standard P10 token. In the Manila Bay area, the LRT runs above Taft Avenue, parallel to Roxas Boulevard. You can use the LRT to get to places in the north of Manila such as Intramuros and the Chinese Cemetery. Another LRT, called MetroStar , has just been built along the length of EDSA from North Triangle in Quezon City to Pasay City in the south. The stops include Cubao Station, from where it's a ten-minute walk to bus terminals for the north of the country. Key stations for tourists are Ortigas, from where you can walk to the imposing concrete edifice of Megamall, Cubao, which is close to many of the bus terminals for buses north, and Buendia, which gives access to Makati. MetroStar fares start from P17. From North Triangle to Makati the average journey time is twenty minutes. By bus the same journey could easily take an hour, sometimes more.
Jeepneys
go back and forth all over the city. Fares start at P2.50 for the shorter journeys and increase by P0.50 for each kilometre after. A useful route runs the length of Taft Avenue from Baclaran in the south to Bindondo in the north. From Baclaran you can get jeepneys to the bus terminals in Pasay City. Jeepneys heading to Cubao will take you past a number of bus terminals at the northern end of EDSA, where you can get buses to destinations in the north such as Baguio and Vigan. Local
buses
in Manila bump and grind their way along all major thoroughfares (Taft, EDSA, Senator Gil Puyat Avenue). The destination is written on a sign in the front window and fares start at P8. These "rolling coffins" are in cut-throat competition for your trade because drivers get paid by the number of passengers they carry. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Philippines,
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