11/24/2014 New E-Jeepney system cruises into Manila | Manila Bulletin | Latest Breaking News | News Philippines

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New E-Jeepney system cruises into Manila

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by Kris Bayos
October 13, 2013
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E-jeepney draws mixed
Manila, Philippines – The ‘king of the road’ is cruising the way of clean air. And its proponents reviews at QC launching
are literally holding their breaths as the e-jeepney attempts to change the image of the charming,
but dirty air of the public utility jeepney.
Cops collar teenaged rob
The jeepney, refered to as “hari ng daan” (king of the road), is a mode of transportation unique suspects in Pasay
to the Philippines, rarely changing its post-war design and powered by second-hand engines that
were not very efficient, nor anywhere near the Clean Air requirements.
Unloading zone
Recently, the City Optimized Managed Electric Transport or COMET was launched to introduce
another form of e-jeepney – a cross between a mini-bus and the jeepney’s form.

COMET, is a pure electric alternative to the conventional jeepneys. COMETs are battery-
operated and can be charged in any 220-voltage power outlet. Since the COMET is purely
electric, it has zero-emission and promises a noise-free travel to its passengers.

Initiatives to clean the air and to offer commuters a better ride started in 2009 when the electric
jeepneys first plied routes at the Central Business District in Makati City. Advocating for cleaner
air, the Makati City Government made an investment to help jeepney operators realize that
making money out of public transportation need not be harmful to the environment. But the
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) did not classify Makati’s e-
jeepneys as public utility vehicle. The Land Transportation Office (LTO) only gave the e-jeepneys
orange plates and as such could not charge its passengers the way PUVs normally do.

But unlike the first generation of electric jeepneys, COMETs use Lithium Iron Phosphate
batteries instead of Lead Acid used by the older version. Engineers in the United States of
America that built it said this is because Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries are light and more
energy dense, helping increase performance of the vehicle.

Standing Passengers Allowed

Compared to the older version of electric jeepneys, wherein passengers still crouch to ride, the
COMET is big enough to accommodate standing passengers when its seating capacity of 16 is
exhausted. A unit is about 5.75-meter long, 2.22-meter tall and 2.05-meter wide, and its seats
are too wide for Filipinos since they are designed to fit American passengers.

“Sa COMET, ang mga pasahero ay pwede ng sumabit sa loob at hindi na sa labas,” Aurora
Liongson of Global Electric Transportation (GET) said during the COMET prototype unit’s
exhibition at the Makati Transport and Traffic Summit last Thursday. GET is the proponent of
the COMET as a PUV in the Philippines with Filipino and American partners on board.

New Business Model

Under GET’s business model, individuals can buy a COMET for an initial investment of
P250,000. The unit is actually priced at P800,000 and the remaining balance will be amortized

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11/24/2014 New E-Jeepney system cruises into Manila | Manila Bulletin | Latest Breaking News | News Philippines
using the unit’s fare collection profit within a period of 10 years.

Liongson said individual COMET owners can earn a minimum of P14,000 per month from fare
collection alone, or an estimate of P400 a day, excluding profit from transit advertisement and
extra earnings for extra passengers who board the COMET along its designated route.

“COMET is a good investment both financially and socially. You can realize payback in two years
while your returns grow year on and year after. Plus you can rest well at the end of the day,
knowing that you have contributed to the betterment of your community,” Liongson added.

Leasing The Battery

Purchasing a COMET doesn’t include the batteries though. Considering the cost of the Lithuim
Iron Phosphate battery that COMETs use, GET decided to exclude it in the package and just
lease it out to the owners.

“A unit with battery would cost P1.2 million. It will be prohibitive to the common jeepney owner
or investors considering its cost. And if the battery is updated with new technology, the owner
will have to purchase a new one,” Liongson said.

“This is why GET owns the battery and the unit owner will only lease it from GET so that if the
battery manufacturer comes out with a new technology, GET will upgrade it at no cost to the
COMET owner,” she added.

To protect the batteries from being submerged in flood water during inclement weather,
Liongson said the vehicle has at least 10 inches clearance from the ground and the battery packs
are contained in an air-tight packaging.

Centrally-Managed Fleet

Another difference is that COMETs will be centrally managed, maintained and operated by GET.
GET spokesperson Armi Consunji said unit owners have the option to let GET drivers drive the
COMET or operate it himself only after undergoing the necessary training.

“COMETs will be part of a centrally managed fleet operated by GET because electric vehicles are
not easy to manage. For you to be able to properly maintain the vehicle, you have to know it.
That was the problem of the electric jeepney. The manufacturer let the owners maintain the
units on their own. We don’t want haphazard maintenance of the units so as much as possible
we want quality control and if you maintain the vehicle properly, you extend its life to at least 20
years,” Consunji said.

Consunji said GET’s business model is not only providing alternative to the archaic jeepneys but
also creating a different way to manage public transportation. She even said that COMETs would
be first rolled out as PUVs in the Philippines. GET is currently applying for franchise to operate
the SM North-Diliman-Katipunan Avenue-SM Megamall, Ortigas route.

Cashless Fare System

GET will also use a propriety cashless fare system that employs reloadable cards called TITO or
Tap In Tap Out. COMETs will be monitored by the GET Command Center using an intelligent
system that enables constant communication between the Command Center and the drivers.
GET has also partnered with Gawad Kalinga for the training of COMET drivers, technicians and
dispatchers. GET will be the one to assign and compensate COMET drivers.

“For now, half of the drivers came from GK and the other half from Pasang Masda. One of our
goals is not to displace jeepney drivers so we are allocating certain number of units for the
jeepney associations so that the drivers can drive themselves,” Consunji added.

Although the COMET prototype has been created in the US, GET plans to eventually outsource
parts in nearby countries or locally so as to lessen the cost of the vehicle and to also generate
local jobs.

“COMETs will be eventually manufactured in the Philippines. We are fixing a plant in Laguna
and in Makati.” Consunji said.

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Join the discussion…

edwin • a year ago

This is a way of hitting two birds in one stone,... improving the efficiency of our mass
metro transit system, reduce our dependency to ME oil and finally address the air
pollution problem and contribute to the resolution of the Global Warming
phenomenon,...we should do and support this move so we can improve our quality of
life,...
3△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

warillaman • a year ago

Ang galing, we are moving up!!! I hope this will replace old gas and diesel type PUV's
2△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Cobra • a year ago

excellent,they should start phasing out the dirty old jeepneys,they are not roadworthy a
long long time ago.
2△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

doubting tomas • a year ago

Anything to lessen the horrible pollution in the Metro. Mabuhay !!!
2△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

1Fz20 • a year ago

pambihira naman journalism nyo, wla man video, pictures or links...bitin, big disservice
to readers! catch up, kahit kuha lang ng cellphone pwede, enggot naman oh.
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Noel Angeles Dimaano • a year ago

I'd also like to invite you to ride the ejeepneys in Makati. They are admittedly old,
having been on the road since 2008. But we have proven, not only that they are
commercially viable, but also that ejeepneys can last - and they are local, MADE IN
THE PHILIPPINES! Hindi imported. Watch out for our new fleet coming soon. MADE IN
THE PHILIPPINES pa din!
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

William Guadalupe • a year ago

One of the best ideas for efficient transport system. Very good ended but lets see how
it is in actual applications. Ideal looks great, lets see how it is when the wheel hits the
road.
1
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1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Nat Cruz • a year ago

Go Go Go, Sana mawala na yung mga fossil fuet na vehicles!
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Conrad Sanchez • a year ago

Very good alternative to gas and diesel fuel engine providing the source of power
needed to re-charge the batteries are from non fossil types. However, if it is from fossil
(carbon base) such as coal, oil or gas or wood, then the expected gain for cleaner air
via this type of emission control program is canceled because the equivalent emissions
that are supposed to be eliminated were just shifted to the surrounding power plants
instead.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Noel Angeles Dimaano • a year ago

Please research more on the franchise claim. We own the first franchise ever issued by
the LTFRB for a public utility ejeepney. Feel free to call me, I can show you the original.
4423376 (office) 5146005 (landline plus)

noelangelesdimaano
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

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