Transportation in the Philippines, what to move
This article has been translated from Russian language using an artificial intelligence-based translation algorithm. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the quality of the translation. You can read the original of this article in Russian here, and ask questions on the topic of our travel forum in English here.
In the Philippines, There is a system of public intercity and urban transport, you can move around the country and resorts inexpensively and relatively conveniently. True, there is a question of increased danger, since the Philippines is an island state, and one of the most common and quite dangerous ways to move around the country are ferries. Also, the country can be conveniently and inexpensively moved by planes and buses within the large islands.
Urban transport in the Philippines is poorly developed. As a rule, jeepneys and tricycles operate in cities. Although they ply the routes, but their traffic patterns are chaotic, you can understand only with the help of local residents. Large city buses are only available in selected large cities. One of the most convenient ways to move around resorts and small islands is to rent transport by tourists. A car for rent here is very expensive, but a low-power scooter is very affordable, and besides, you do not need to obtain international rights to manage it.
Learn more about each mode of transport:
Aircraft
There are several airlines in the country, including low-cost airlines, which allow you to move very inexpensively between the islands. There are airports on almost every more or less large island, and the cost of flights competes with trips on buses and ferries. Therefore, before looking for tickets for a bus or ferry, we recommend always checking the prices for flights, perhaps it will be even cheaper, besides, you will save a lot of time. But, of course, keep in mind that the lowest tariffs will not include baggage transportation, you will have to pay separately for it.
It is most convenient to search for tickets for flights by local airlines through aggregators like Aviasales, but you can also do this on airline websites: Air Juan, AirSWIFT, Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, AirAsia, Royal Air Philippines, SkyJet Airlines.
If you have any problems with purchasing tickets on the websites of local airlines, read How to solve them here - solving the problem with error 444 on the Cebu Pacific website.
Minimum prices for ready flights in the Philippines, found on the search engine Aviasales:
Ferries
Ferries in the Philippines are one of the main modes of Transport for both locals and tourists. And this is not surprising, because the country consists of more than 7,000 islands, between which you can move only by ferry or plane. In total, there are about 200 regular ferries and high-speed boats, and there are more than 30 large carrier companies, and a myriad of small private ones.
There is no single website with ferry schedules for the country and even for individual ports, they need to be checked on the websites of individual companies, and sometimes they do not even have websites, and information can only be obtained on the spot at the ticket offices in the port.
Moreover, even in ports there are no single ticket offices, each company sells its tickets at separate ticket offices. Ferry tickets can be bought online for the most popular destinations for tourists and massive for locals, and it is better to do this in advance. Since there are many carriers, it is best to check schedules and buy tickets on the carrier aggregator for Asia-the site 12go.asia. On it you can buy tickets to the most popular destinations, but, unfortunately, not all are represented. If you do not find something here, you will have to understand on the spot in the port, since, as we mentioned, many carriers do not even have websites. Here is the 12Go search form:
We have also compiled schedules for all transportation in the Philippines to various destinations that can be booked online here.
And here is a list of the most famous carriers in the Philippines, you can also check the schedule and book flights to them:
- 2GO ferries
- Starlite Ferry
- Cokaliong Shipping lines
- Lite Shipping lines
- Trans-Asia Shipping lines
- Robie shipping lines
- Medallion transport
- George & peter Lines
- Fast Cat
- Weesam Express
- Oceanjet
- Super Cat
- MV Starcraft
- Super Shuttle Roro
- VG Shipping Lines-Talibon (Bohol)
Learn more about all types of ferries in the Philippines and how to use them here...
Intercity buses
Surprisingly and in contrast to the poorly developed urban transportation, the Philippines operates a developed intercity bus system within the islands, and there are even Island-to-island flights with a bus ferry crossing. Buses are mostly air-conditioned (even too), there is even WiFi on board.
As with ferries, there is no single schedule on the internet, as well as single ticket offices. Usually tickets are sold at bus terminals, and bus station workers or "helpers" help you find the right one, who only need to tell you where you need to go, and they will tell you everything. And just like with ferries, some flights are available for online booking at 12go.asia.
Jeepneys and V-hire vans
Jeepney (Jeepney) is a traditional and so far the most popular form of urban transport. Sometimes they work on suburban and intercity routes. These are small minibuses, or old jeeps equipped for transporting passengers, a kind of analogue of Thai songthaew. In large cities, they ply on officially equipped and numbered routes, and in small ones they can simply travel along routes without numbers, which only local residents know about, i.e. this is a popular minibus. Stop at any places on demand. To stop it on the road, you just need to wave your hand, and to stop it during the trip from the body, you need to press the bell (if installed) or knock on the roof. Travel costs from 8 pesos.
But gradually jeepneys displace more modern transport-minibuses V-hire. In fact, they work in the same way as jeepneys, but mainly on suburban and short intercity routes. Travel in them is more expensive.
Tricycles, cycle rickshaws, motorcycle taxis
These modes of transport are used as taxis for short trips, although sometimes tricycles (trike) ply the routes. In most cases, the price for them is negotiable: locals pay from 10 pesos for a short trip, with foreigners asking from 50 and above. It is necessary to bargain, as they often ask for speculative prices that are higher than a trip by car taxi.
In very rare cases, in resorts, the price of a trip on tricycles is regulated by the authorities. For example, this is done on Boracay and Siquijor, where each tricycle driver has something like a license and a price plate, at which the cost of the trip is determined between important points on the island. But in these cases, drivers manage to rob tourists who do not have information about the cost.
Car taxi
The official car taxi in the Philippines so far can be found only in large cities, and in most resorts this type of transport is absent. In this case, a car taxi is replaced by trips on tricycles, or ordering a car with a driver through the reception of hotels, for example.
All official car taxis work on the counter. The cost is from 40 pesos for boarding, 13.5 pesos for 1 kilometer of travel and 2 pesos for every minute of travel, including parking or standing in traffic jams. As a result, short trips within the city will cost you:
- Up to 2 kilometers – 70 pesos (1.21 USD, see Philippine currency and exchange rate);
- From 2 to 5 kilometers – 70-120 pesos (2.07 USD);
- From 5 to 10 kilometers – 120-200 pesos (3.45 USD).
But be sure to check with the driver before starting the trip that he will take you with the meter turned on, as they sometimes like to carry tourists without the meter turned on, and at the end of the trip announce an arbitrary price. A great alternative is to order through Grab or JoyRide apps. According to them, you will immediately see the cost of the trip, and there is an online payment with a linked card. Unfortunately, applications do not work everywhere yet.
Transport rental
As in all countries of Southeast Asia, in the Philippines, tourists and travelers are very popular for renting transport, especially low-power motorcycles (more often called scooters, motorcycles, mopeds). Find Transport for rent will not be difficult at any resort, in cities, airports. But, of course, motorcycles are not available at airports, but they can be rented on arrival on the islands immediately in the ports.
Now you can book a motorbike and get it on the spot without searching through the service 🏍 BikesBooking.com:
Rental prices differ depending on the island, but in general knocks rent will cost around 500 pesos (8.62 USD). Sometimes you can bargain up to 400 pesos / day (6.89 USD) when renting for a few days, and if you take a week or more, you can get an even bigger discount. It is necessary to bargain, and it is quite possible to bring down the price to the indicated ones, they are valid in 2023. But there are exceptions: on the island of Boracay there is a taxi mafia that does not allow you to reduce the rent below 2500 pesos per day!!!
To manage rented transport in the Philippines, it is enough to have national Russian rights of a new model, there is not even a need to obtain international rights (IDP, International Driving Permit). But in order for everything to be according to the law, you must necessarily have an open category "A". The opinion that the rights to control a low-power scooter are not needed is a misconception.
Until recently, it was believed that the police do not pay much attention to the category of transport indicated in the/AT tourists, but the situation is gradually changing. Starts from 2019, "raids" on the roads have become more frequent, during which the police arrange temporary check-points (Check-points), and check documents and the state of Transport for everyone without exception, including tourists.
Learn more about renting vehicles and motorcycles in the Philippines Here...
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