Ditch the Traffic, Ride a Trolley
Kyle John Antonio in Ang Pinoy Stories
Sep 23, 2019 • 2 min Read
The hectic metropolis and its unstoppable traffic jam are pushing Manileños to master and survive commuting. One bizarre method is via trolleys, those wooden homemade carts that ply along the Philippine National Railway (PNR) tracks at Pandacan and Sta. Mesa. These trolleys send passengers (students, professionals, and plain folks) from end to end in just 5–7 minutes for 10 pesos per ride. The trolley is manually pushed by a driver—it is cheap and does not use oil. PUP Sta. Mesa students are frequent passengers.
Rene Vargas Almeria Jr., 58, is one of the oldest trolley drivers and is the vice-president of their trolley association. He has been pushing passengers for more than two decades and the job has helped him provide education for his three daughters who are now degree holders. He has no plans to stop pushing trolley as his body has been used to it, and even remarked that staying at home weakens his body.
Almeria said that the biggest enemy of “trolley boys” is the unpredictable weather that takes a toll on their bodies. Sickness and body pains are quite normal for them.
The trolley boys’ livelihood has faced several criticisms from netizens when an international media company published a documentary, showing the dangers and hazards it may cause the riding public. The internationally broadcasted documentary pushed President Rodrigo Duterte to ban their operation, which has left more than 60 families without income and 45,000 daily passengers having no option but to join Manila’s traffic.
It is not the end of the world for trolley drivers as they were granted another chance to operate, after thousands of commuters including students and the working public filed a petition and signed a protest. The trolley association assured that they will provide a safe and commuter-friendly transportation.
Mark Vincent Nalica, a Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) student and a trolley passenger, says trolley drivers know the exact arrival of trains. They know exactly what to do to avoid accidents. He says, “I feel safe whenever I take the trolley.”
After the temporary ban, the trolley association is now strictly enforcing rules to their members, even to the point of penalizing trolley drivers or confiscating their trolleys.
“We have been given an opportunity to bring back trolley, so we need to obey. For the safety of our passengers, especially the students,” said Almeria.
