Become a road warrior with a jeepney or trike

Getting around New York City, locals take the subway or taxis. In Dallas, it’s a car (unless you’re one of those who gets good use out of DART). In Haiti, it’s a tap tap. In Thailand, it’s a tuk-tuk.

But say you want to get around like a local in the Philippines. Are you getting in one of the allegedly sketchy white taxi cabs, or are you paying for a driver? If you’re a regular tourist, you’re going to be paying a private driver. But if you’re a local, you’re jumping on a jeepney or a trike.

The tricycle is perfect if you’re traveling with yourself or one other person, just enough that can fit in the sidecar that is welded onto a motorcycle. Some of these sidecars are larger, with a “backseat,” fitting two more people. Plenty of families go beyond that limit, piling five or six people on there in ways only years of practice could achieve.

When you pick up a trike driver, tell them exactly where you want to go. A couple of miles might be about 25 pesos. It’s not quite as precarious as it looks. The contraption looks like it might fall over at the slightest right turn, but it stays upright fairly well. That is, unless you’re going down a mountain after a rainstorm, then you might slide around, have to get out, and have to help push the vehicle out of a spot it’s stuck in. (More on that later.)

Many locals use jeepneys to get to their work. These are similar to the tap taps in Haiti in appearance. They get their name because these vehicles were originally made from the jeeps that the U.S. military left in the country after World War II. The word “jeepney” comes from “jeep” and “jitney,” which is a small bus that carries passengers on a regular route. There are stations all over the place with jeepneys — there are usually plenty of trikes there, too — and they do follow routes. You’ll see on the sides of the vehicles (which are now other makes in addition to Jeeps) which stops they visit.

For one local I know who lives in Angeles, she takes three jeepneys to get to her job in Clark. With some walking, this 30-or-so kilometer trip costs her 50 pesos.

Regardless of the vehicle, even if it’s a regular-old motorcycle, there’s no need to follow rules. I’ve heard that you’re supposed to wear closed-toe shoes when riding a motorcycle, but most of the time, you’ll see the driver perched on the bike wearing flip flops.

As for capacity limits, there must not be any. Families of five can be found on a single bike (that’s including babies wedged in between people). The same number can be found crammed in a trike. And for the jeepneys, it’s as many as can fit inside, on the sides, above and — who knows? — maybe below.