Transportation

LOCAL TRANSPORT

By air, Philippine Airlines (Tel. No. 855-9999), Air Philippines (855-9000) and Cebu Pacific (636-4938) provide daily services to major cities and towns. ZestAir (851-8888), Laoag International Airlines (551-9729) and Seair (891-8708) service the missionary routes. There are also scheduled chartered flights to major domestic destinations serviced by smaller commuter planes.

By sea, inter-island ships connect Manila to major ports. Ferry services connect smaller islands.
By land, Philtranco connects Manila to Bicol in Southern Luzon, to Samar and Leyte in the Visayas, and Davao in Mindanao through the Maharlika Highway. Via the western seaboard, the premier bus company connects Manila to Batangas and Mindoro of the Southern Tagalog Region, to Kalibo and Iloilo in Western Visayas utilizing RORO or roll-on, roll-off vessels as moving bridges along the Strong Republic Nautical Highway.

Metered and fixed rate taxis are widely available in key cities nationwide. Jeepneys and buses are inexpensive ways to get around most places. In Metro Manila, the fastest way of commuting is via the railway system. The Light Rail Transit or LRT connects the northern district of Monumento to the southern district of Baclaran. The Metro Rail Transit or MRT traverses the length of EDSA and connects North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay, passing through the major arteries of Makati's financial district. 

Transport System in Metro Manila Philippines

The public transport system of Metro Manila is under the jurisdiction of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), (Tel: (02) 882 4150; e-mail: info@mmda.gov.ph). To an outsider, the transport system of Metro Manila may seem baffling at first. But once you learn the ropes, it can actually be fun going around the metropolis in taxis, bus, jeepneys, LRT, MRT, tricycle and pedicab.

Taxis

Taxis are available at the international and domestic airport and at major hotels with fixed rate depending on your destination, you can proceed to the various taxi stand at the airport and request the hotel reception for your taxi requirements, or you can hailed a taxi yourself on the street, which is cheaper. Just make sure that the driver turns on the meter. If he gives you a story that it is broken, get out and take another taxi. Air-conditioned taxis cost PhP25.00 on the meter and an additional PhP 2.00 is added for every succeeding 200 meters to the final cost. Unless you are taking a long trip or the traffic is unusually horrible, most taxi rides should be well under P100.

Buses

Both air-conditioned and regular buses travel all the major routes in Metro Manila except Roxas Boulevard. On an air-con bus a short ride costs PhP8.00, adding PhP 2.00 for every succeeding kilometer. The regular bus' minimum fare is PhP 4.00, with an additional PhP1.00 for every succeeding kilometer. Just tell the conductor where you are going and he will tell you how much it costs. Keep your bus receipt as it is your proof of payment.

LRT

The LRT (Light Rail Transit) is an elevated railway that runs from Baclaran in the east (near the airport) to Monumento at Caloocan City in the north. Trains run frequently from 5.30am to 9pm and the fare is a standard P12 token. In the Manila Bay area, the LRT runs above Taft Avenue, parallel to Roxas Boulevard. You can use the LRT to get to places like the Cultural Center of the Philippines, you will get off at the Vito Cruz station, Luneta, you will get off at the United Nations Avenue station, Intramuros you will get off at the Central Station and the Chinese Cemetery you will get off at the Abad Santos station.

MRT
MRT (Metro Rail Transit) is another way of navigating the traffic congested EDSA, also called MetroStar, it is built along the length of EDSA from North Triangle in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City in the south. The stops include Ayala, from where it's a ten-minute walk to the central business district passing through the newly renovated SM Makati which is interconnected with Glorietta and Landmark and using the overhead walkway, it is a pleasant walk until you reach the new and exciting Greenbelt area. Other key stations for tourists are Ortigas, from where you can walk to the imposing concrete edifice of Megamall and Shangri-la Mall, and Cubao Station is walking distance to Farmers Plaza, Araneta Coliseum and Ali Mall and at the back of Ali Mall is where most of the bus terminals with destinations as far as Davao in Mindanao are located. MRT fares start from P9. And travel from North Triangle to Makati is just about twenty minutes. By bus the same journey could easily take an hour, sometimes more especially during rush hours..

Jeepneys

The undisputed “King of the Philippine Roads” is the jeepney. Since it first emerged after the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, it has become a fixture in roads all over the country – so much so that it is now considered a symbol of national pride.

Jeepneys ply most of Manila's secondary roads and even a few major thoroughfares 24hours a day. They're as much fun to ride on as they are to look at and you have to try one. Although there are regular stops, you can often just flag one down and hop on. Call out "bayad" (bah-yhad) to give your payment to the driver, iff you are too far back, pass your PhP 7.50 (minimum fare for the first 4 kilometers; 50 centavos additional for every succeeding 500 meters) down. When you are ready to get off, call out "para" (pah-rah); wait till he slows down and jump.

Pedicab or Tricycle


Pedicabs and motorcycles with attached sidecars are found everywhere and provide amazingly inexpensive short hops. They operate mostly on interior roads and inside villages. In the big cities like Manila and Cebu City,  the tricycles are  especially  part of the transportation services in the  outer living sections. In the smaller cities and towns you can see them allover the place. A stop on every desired place is possible.  Rate start from Php7.50.

Other Modes of Transportation
Most of the major car rental agencies, including AVIS, Budget, and Hertz have offices in Metro Manila and carry a full line of vehicles from jeeps to limousines. All vehicles may be rented with or without a driver. If you wish to do your own driving you must have a valid foreign or international license. 

Driving Tips

Driving can be very stressful for what with the heavy congestion and smog. Drivers in the Philippines are frequently aggressive and often disregard traffic regulations, especially regarding lane discipline, one-way streets and giving way to other drivers. They use their horns sometimes more often than required.

Parking is as much of a scramble as driving is, and visitors are advised to park at their hotels, although facilities are available at large shopping malls and major commercial districts, such as Makati and OrtigasCenter. To reduce pollution, a congestion scheme banning cars from the capital is in effect 0700-1900 – those with number plates ending in 1 or 2 on Mondays, 3 or 4 on Tuesdays and so on, with 9 or 0 banned on Fridays.