Toki jeepneys are back on the road. But with passengers few and far between, drivers plying the administration-approved Toki route have struggled to make ends meet.
Instead of having dedicated Toki drivers, the UP Ikot Drivers Association has incorporated the original five Toki drivers into their group. Currently, Ikot drivers take shifts in operating the route so that their losses are spread more evenly.
“Nag-isa nalang [ang Ikot at Toki] kasi pangangailangan din nila yun. Pero noong dumating ang pasukan nagkaroon ng hindi magandang resulta,” Cesar Sta. Maria, head of the association, told the Collegian.
A new route was implemented by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs (OVCCA) on February 5 in response to the UP community's demands to bring back the Toki jeepneys for easier transportation.
Due to its impracticability, drivers demand the cancellation of the designated route and urge the office to reconsider their plan. (Nathaniel Lopera/Philippine Collegian; Source: Office of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs, UP Ikot Drivers Association)
Since the route started operating, Sta. Maria said that drivers already started facing problems—some stops designated by the OVCCA are located in areas with little foot traffic, and jeepney drivers are often stalled in front of Vinzons Hall due to private vehicles mistakenly assuming that the road is one-way.
Most pressing however are the financial losses incurred by the drivers. With a lack of financial support from the administration during the early months of the route’s reintroduction, the association had to distribute financial assistance collected from its members to compensate for the drivers’ low earnings.
Although the drivers tried to request modifications of the Toki route, the OVCCA remains unmoved by their calls. “Iyon nga ang problema sa OVCCA, kung gusto namin na bumiyahe [dapat] sumusunod kami sa rutang gusto nila na ayaw naman namin,” UP Transport Group spokesperson Nelson Grulla added.
For the Toki drivers, low ridership is a familiar struggle. While it has already been a problem ever since the pandemic, the changing routes imposed by the OVCCA finally forced drivers out of their routes, Grulla recalled.
With Toki drivers facing dwindling commuter numbers, Nolan Grulla, UP Transport Group spokesperson and a jeepney driver for 18 years, calls for the OVCCA to heed their requests. (Alexa Sambale/Philippine Collegian)
Still, Sta. Maria said that despite the financial losses, the Toki drivers were forced to continue operating after being threatened by the OVCCA’s plan to use e-jeeps for the Toki route.
The modernized jeeps plied the route last July 29 during the graduation ceremonies. While Community Affairs Vice Chancellor Roehl Jamon assured that the move was merely a dry run to gauge the community’s response to e-jeeps, the transport group remains skeptical of the OVCCA’s lack of consultation.
“Pag-pinasukan talaga iyan [ng modernized jeep] ay tuloy-tuloy na yan, pati linya namin [UP- SM North] madadamay,” Grulla added.
Since its implementation, UP-operating jeepneys have expressed concerns about the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program. Earlier this year, UP drivers were forced to consolidate into cooperatives as part of the program to avoid revocation of their franchises.
“Ito yung hanapbuhay namin kaya sana wag kaming sikilin. Kung aalisan nila kami [ng trabaho] saan kami pupunta?” Grulla said. ●
