My Baby Bus Ride
Here is my share for #vehiclephotography contest by @juliank
Let me share with you a public transportation which is unique and can only be found in my home town Cavite, Philippines. No other place in the country will you be able to see this vehicle and this is the transportation I use daily to commute to work. A lot of you know about the popular Philippine Jeepney full of color and a part that also embodies our culture.
If you want to know more about the Jeepney feel free to visit my old post from last month.
Twenty Cents Ride
Like the Jeepney it has a lot of colors and decorations to grab the commuters attention. Painted with themes from religion, sports, cartoons, wildlife or anything that bears a lot of meaning for the owner. Even family names, loved ones, off springs and probably mistresses names are painted in front of the bus.
Just a brief history of the name of my home town Cavite and there are different stories about the history of it's name. Taken from the local word Kabit the meaning which is to connect as told the town was connected to a narrow piece of land. But there is another meaning of Kabit which is mistress. Most people joke around that if you are from Cavite you have a lot of mistresses. Which I find is untrue for me probably for some but who am I to judge. We come from a rich history of bravery and we are very loving people that I can say much about.
No air conditioning this bus can sit around 30 passengers the most. The heat is intense during summer and windows can be raised during the rainy season. Though sometimes the wait is painful as the bus waits to get a lot of passenger before heading off. Still it is a fun ride to experience.
When you reach your destination there is a buzzer that you could press to notify the driver that you would be getting off. Sometimes there are babies who play with it and their parents just tell the driver to go on feeling embarassed. Which it always gives me a giggle every time I see that scene.
Again here we are @bearkid tagging along on my trip. Enjoying her music with a cool breeze of air and the bus speeds up.
The bus occasionally has a conductor who collects the fare and most of the time you would pay directly to the driver once you get off.
The Fare
Minimum fare 9 pesos around $ 0.18 within the city
7.3 km ride 12 pesos around $ 0.24
20 km ride about 30 pesos around $ 0.60
The ride would be bumpy at times and the heat could be unbearable. The rain would get you wet unless you raise the windows. I remember on a stormy day on my way to work the window was broken and the roof was leaking. People were cramped in and it was very uncomfortable. Still I got to my destination which gives a valuable lesson. Life could be unbearable at times and what gives us discomfort makes us stronger and drive harder to reach our destination.
I think that is it for today here is where we get off and thanks for taking the ride with us. I hope you enjoyed. We'll all get there soon Steemians where ever your destination is. Cheers!
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Also thanks to @bayanihan where the impossible becomes possible thru unity.
Taken with Lumix GX85 and 12-32 mm
This is a very interesting post and insight into what would be a routine journey for most, however you've turned it into a post where the listener feels like they're experiencing the ride with you. The buses themselves are a work of art and you can see that they are the pride of their drivers/owners.
Thanks for your kind words. Indeed they are a work of art and every bus is unique in its own way.
I just had you a really long reply and my computer ate it. :( Thanks for this post. I love it. I used to live in Mexico and this brought back great memories. 15 years ago, I would get on a bus and the inside was always decorated differently where the bus driver would sit. Pictures of loved ones, paintings, baby shoes, etc would be up there. I always wanted to take pictures and make a book with them. It looks like you could make a cool book with the outside of buses. Fares were also calculated differently there - everyone paid about $.20 when they got on the bus, no matter how far they rode. Here in Panama, you pay per distance as well. And they have buses in Panama City that are painted all crazy similar to yours. Great post.
It's a great idea for the photo book but if would make a book I might start with daughter @bearkid as we do shoots during weekend. I could imagine the buses you described in mexico and I think its amazing. Personal touches from the driver. Also I'd love to see the busses there in Panama 🚌
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"The ride would be bumpy at times and the heat could be unbearable", what is the temperature like there. I know bus ride is sometimes takes all your energy but you love the ride to the core.
Around 34 to 38 degrees Celsius during summer and a bus packed with a lot of passengers. Draining but you are right we love the ride 😃
nice story, lovely shots. makes me miss my wide-angle lens even more :p
Thank you. Looking for a wide prime myself maybe soon.
a fast wide prime would be sweet!
Great post! There is no public transportation where I live, so it's quite fascinating to me to see others using it. Upped and resteemed.
Thank you my friend glad you enjoyed the ride. My daily ride to work.
Very interesting busses, reminds me of how south african minibus taxis used to look, with the names written on it and in all different colours.
Please do share as it sounds very interesting.