Muntinlupa’s free e-jeep rides program cited in int’l transport summit

The Muntinlupa City government’s program of offering free rides on electronic jeepneys (e-jeeps) has been cited in an international transport summit.

Last week, the e-Jeepney Ride for Free (e-JRF) won the Best Customer Experience award at the UITP (Union Internationale des Transports Publics) Awards held at Montreal, Canada.

The Muntinlupa program bested other entries from the United Kingdom, India and Oman.

The UITP is an international association of public transportation groups which advocates innovative sustainable mobility projects in policy making.

“[The] e–Jeepney creatively redefines the customer experience of a flexible public transport service that is a core feature of mobility in the Philippines,” the UITP said of the Muntinlupa program.

“It utilizes new technology to enable booking and payment, and an eco-friendly vehicle for service delivery, based on a customer-centered approach to service design,” it added.s

The city has 10 e-jeeps which provide free rides to yellow card holders—care cards provided to city residents that are tracked by special card readers— from the National Road to the commercial center in Alabang. Those without yellow card need only to sign on logbooks.

Mayor Jaime Fresnedi, in partnership with the Lingkod Muntinlupa Foundation, launched the program in October as part of a bid to be “the greenest city” and “e-jeepney capital of the country.”

“I hope that Muntinlupa’s example can be a benchmark for the whole country in shifting to an energy-efficient and eco-friendly transport system,” he said.

Muntinlupa’s e-JRF, the sole entry of the Philippines in the competition, joins other winners from countries such as Brazil (smart financing and business model), Sweden (operational and technological excellence), Denmark (small cities and low density areas), United Kingdom (design) and Germany (young leadership). –Dexter Cabalza