Riding the Dubai Ferry and some Commuting Escapades

As I was writing this, articles about a new Dubai metro line – Blue line have come out at the same time I heard about a plan for an elevated expressway along  the historic Pasig river back home and how it is being debated in The Howie Severino Podcast . Named PAREX for Pasig River Expressway it is supposed to solve traffic congestion in the metro by linking Laguna de Bay and Manila Bay therefore giving alternative routes to the business districts(futurearc.com, March 2023). Coincidentally, I have just recently tried the Dubai Ferry, also run by RTA, which has been operating for quite a long time already with routes going to Dubai Marina, Bluewater Marine Transport Station,  Al Ghuabaiba , etc. and two round trip timings a day at Dubai Marina station  (see routes/timings here).

I grew up taking public transportation to school and work. To understand better what my life as a commuter in the Philippines was, I shall recount my commuting escapades: Going to school, I needed to ride a tricycle to drop me off the road where jeepneys headed to school pass by to ride the jeep. Going home from school needed two jeepney rides and a tricycle. After finishing school then came my new commuting feat - to my workplace in Makati. (Deep breath). First route: via Alabang, Muntinlupa which constitutes a tricycle ride, a jeepney ride that will cruise along South Luzon Expressway open-air to Alabang then a bus ride to take me to Ayala, then lastly a jeep ride, Makati Loop to take me to the final destination. Second route: via San Pedro, Laguna that makes up a tricycle ride, one jeep ride to Olivarez Plaza then another jeep going to Pacita where buses wait for passengers to fill its capacity (not sure if that’s a terminal) then take the LRT/Buendia bus and finally a Buendia jeep. All those travels were plied in with bad traffic and pollution.

I cannot help but hate commuting and dream of owning a car until I moved away and lived in a city with a comprehensive public transportation system. It courted me and won me over. I am now a proud public commuter!🚸❤️ . 

 A gulf country with a penchant for sports cars (Ferrari World Abu Dhabi!) and anything luxurious sees the solution for traffic problems in improved public transportation! An irony but not unique and new since most developed and even some developing countries have been going down the same road (pun intended). The system here is not yet perfect and was not this good 10 to 15 years ago but it can rival the ones in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Japan (definitely simpler to navigate than Osaka) and some in Europe for sure.

Yes, this is actually a love letter to a good public transportation infrastructure rather than a rant of a bad history of commuting. A reconciliation, I should say😆. 

 PS

There might be some who will dismiss my experience, a common commute scene, as nothing compared to others who have to walk up and down the mountains or cross rivers to reach school or look for food. That is true. Sadly. And it is still very much happening right now in the provinces. Look up documentaries if you want to learn more about it. Still, this is no reason to feel great about receiving just the bare minimum. This sad reality shouldn't make us feel guilty about pointing out the lack of improvement and wanting better options.