The vehicle that best represents the streets of the Philippines was not designed by Filipinos. The jeepney originated from U.S. military jeeps left behind after World War II.
Hundreds of Willys MB and Ford GPW units were sold at low prices or even given away to residents of Manila when U.S. forces began returning home in 1945 and 1946. From these wartime leftovers emerged what would become the Philippines' most iconic form of public transportation.
Now, eight decades later, the approximately 120,000 jeepneys still in operation face a new threat: the government's modernization program, which aims to replace them gradually.
Before Jeepneys, Manila Had Auto Calesas
The jeepney was not Manila's first form of public transportation. Since the early 1930s, the city had auto calesas, inexpensive imported cars, including the German brand DKW, that were modified by adding sidecar-style passenger compartments to carry more people.
Auto calesas served as a basic form of public transportation before the war broke out. However, most of the fleet was destroyed during the Japanese occupation and the World War II battles in the Philippines.
From the Willys MB to the People's Vehicle
When the war ended and the United States recognized Philippine independence in 1946, Manila faced a transportation crisis. Its auto calesas were gone, while thousands of surplus military jeeps were scattered across the country.
Local residents stripped down these vehicles and modified them themselves.
Metal roofs were added to provide shade. The bodies were painted in bright colors and decorated with chrome ornaments along the sides and hood. The rear was redesigned with two long benches facing each other, allowing more passengers to be carried on a single trip (SOFREP, n.d.).
It was through this modification process that the name "jeepney" emerged. The word combines "jeep," the military vehicle that served as its base, and "jitney," an American slang term for a small, low-fare public vehicle that had been in use since before the war.
Sarao, the Name That Became Synonymous with the Jeepney
At first, surplus military jeeps were modified individually by local mechanics. It was not until 1953 that Leonardo Sarao, a former horse-carriage driver who became a mechanic, established a small workshop with an initial capital of 700 pesos.
That workshop grew into Sarao Motors, the largest jeepney manufacturer in the Philippines. At its peak in the 1970s, Sarao Motors produced between 12 and 20 units per day, or around 360 to 600 units per month. Sarao-built jeepneys even outnumbered all other brands on the streets of Manila by a ratio of nearly seven to one.
Sarao's reputation reached the international stage. In 1964, the company showcased one of its models at the Philippine Pavilion during the New York World's Fair.
From then on, the jeepney was no longer just a means of transportation. It earned the nickname "Hari ng Daan," or "King of the Road," and became a symbol of the Filipino people's creativity in transforming the remnants of war into a cultural icon.
A Wartime Icon Now Facing Modernization
Eight decades after its birth, the jeepney has entered a new chapter. Since 2017, the Philippine government has implemented the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, which requires traditional jeepneys that are 15 years old or older to be replaced with electric vehicles or vehicles that meet Euro 4 emission standards.
By mid-2024, 159,914 of the country's 191,730 public utility vehicles, or 83.41 percent, had joined transportation cooperatives or corporations under the new policy. A total of 1,749 cooperatives with around 262,870 members and 1,088 corporations had been established.
However, route rationalization has progressed much more slowly. Only 15 percent of routes had been rationalized by early 2025, while the government aims to complete 50 percent by the end of 2025 and 100 percent by the end of 2026.
On the vehicle side, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, led by Vigor Mendoza II, aims to have 6,000 electric jeepneys in operation throughout 2026. The target is based on the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA), which requires at least 5 percent of the public transportation fleet to be electric.
Cost remains one of the biggest challenges. A modern jeepney costs an average of 2.48 million pesos per unit, far beyond the financial capacity of many drivers and small operators.
Driver groups such as PISTON continue to oppose the program because they consider it unaffordable. The Department of Transportation estimates that the full modernization of approximately 150,000 jeepneys nationwide will not be completed until around 2030.
A vehicle that was once created at virtually no cost from the remnants of war now requires millions of pesos just to remain on the road.
