OPINION: Why PH commutes stay unreliable

CEBU CITY -- A better commute is possible, but it requires structural choices but traffic congestion in the Philippines is no longer the core problem facing urban mobility. The deeper challenge is uncertainty. Commuters are unable to predict travel time, booking availability, or daily transport costs, turning mobility into a structural constraint on economic activity in the country’s largest cities.

Data from traffic studies and urban transport agencies show how this uncertainty has become embedded in the country’s mobility system, with measurable economic costs and growing pressure on cities beyond Metro Manila.

According to the TomTom Traffic Index, cities in the Philippines rank among the most time-consuming for daily travel in Asia. In Metro Manila, estimates widely cited from JICA-related analyses put the economic cost of congestion at about PHP 3.5 billion per day, a figure expected to rise if current trends continue.

At this level, unreliable mobility affects more than individual convenience. It disrupts work schedules, increases operating costs for businesses, and limits access to employment and services. The burden falls disproportionately on urban workers who depend on predictable travel times to sustain income and productivity.

As urban density increases, these effects compound. What begins as a traffic delay translates into lost economic output, weaker labor mobility, and declining service efficiency across cities.

Structural gaps, not demand, drive system-wide unreliability

The persistence of uncertainty reflects structural imbalance rather than excess demand alone.

Data from the Asian Transport Observatory indicate that the Philippines has around 1.4 kilometers of BRT and metro per one million urban residents, compared with an Asian average of roughly 6 kilometers. This shortfall forces a large share of daily travel onto road-based transport, even as road networks operate beyond optimal capacity.

Taxis and ride services have therefore become a critical layer in the mobility system, compensating for limited mass transit coverage. However, when supply fluctuates and driver productivity declines under congestion, reliability deteriorates further.

These pressures are increasingly visible beyond Metro Manila. In Cebu, one of the country’s fastest-growing urban economies, local reporting by SunStar has highlighted commuter complaints about extended wait times for ride bookings, often exceeding 20 minutes during peak periods. Such delays signal a system approaching saturation, where effective supply fails to keep pace with demand.

Academician analysis supports this diagnosis. Jan Carlo Punongbayan, Associate Professor at the University of the Philippines School of Economics, has argued that mobility challenges stem from car-centric planning and fragmented governance rather than from any single transport mode. Framing urban transport as a contest between public and private systems, he notes, obscures the underlying structural constraints.

Structural choices and the role of electric taxis

In cities where mass transit remains limited, taxis will continue to play an essential role in urban mobility. The issue is not whether taxis are needed, but how reliably they operate within the broader system.

Regulatory frameworks already reflect this concern. LTFRB guidelines on vehicle age limits and fleet modernization acknowledge the link between fleet quality, safety standards, and service consistency. Older vehicles tend to amplify uncertainty for both passengers and drivers.

For drivers, unreliability is financial. Fuel price volatility introduces daily income risk, particularly in congested, high-utilization environments. Newer vehicles, including electrified options where infrastructure allows, shift operating costs toward more predictable structures.

Electric taxis are increasingly seen as part of urban mobility solutions, as they simultaneously reduce emissions and raise safety standards. Given their high utilization, electric fleets help limit environmental impact in dense urban areas. At the same time, centralized operations, defined vehicle standards, and advanced safety systems help reduce operational risks and improve road safety.

For passengers, reliability outweighs novelty. The ability to secure a ride, maintain acceptable comfort during delays, and rely on consistent safety standards defines service quality. International experience suggests that when multiple service models coexist within clear regulatory frameworks, competition tends to raise baseline standards rather than fragment them.

Within this context, electric taxi operators such as Green GSM should be understood as complementary components of the urban mobility ecosystem. Their contribution lies not in eliminating congestion but in reducing uncertainty at the margin by standardizing fleet quality, stabilizing operating conditions for drivers, and delivering more predictable outcomes for passengers.

A better commute, therefore, is not a slogan. It is a structural outcome. It emerges when infrastructure investment, regulatory clarity, and market incentives align around reliability rather than volume.