Cost and Benefits of Riding Jeepneys

Taking a jeepney in Bacolod is not uncommon and nor is it a difficult task. However, like everything in life, there are both advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages:
Save money
Taking a jeep in Bacolod costs 7 pesos (5.5 for students, elderly, and disabled). This is good for us to 5 KM. Basically, if you are going from the Central Market to Airport, Bata, Mandalagan, Homesite, La Salle, or most places within the city, you can get away with giving 7 pesos (6 for students or senior citizens). If you give a 15 pesos or more to the driver and there are two or more of you, he'll take the extra peso. (Bacolod changed rates back to 7 pesos when the oil prices went down).

Staying Safe in Bacolod

Even though the Philippines is the self-proclaimed hospitality capital of the world, there are still many unsafe areas and traps that foreigners as well as non-Bacolodnons can fall into.

Common money traps:
The random "helpful" person. This trap happens when you are carrying something heavy or trying to get a taxi and a random person comes along and tries to help. However, afterwards they will demand money from you and if you don't give it, they may turn violent.

How to stay safe: wave off anyone trying to help you.

The "trapped in Bacolod" person. A random person will come up to you and tell you a sad story about how they are stuck in Bacolod with no money to return home. Afterwards, they will ask you if you can give them money for bus fare. They will sometimes even have small children looking sad next to them.

Bacolod Public Plaza

The Bacolod Pavilion in the center of Bacolod Public Plaza.

The Bacolod Public Plaza is located in downtown Bacolod City. It is a trapezoidal park with four circular fountains and a gazebo.

The Plaza (as it is commonly called) is located near city hall, San Sebastian Cathedral, Central Market, and malls like Lopues Araneta, SM City, and Plaza Mart, and Gaisano Main.

Riding a Jeepney in Bacolod

A Bata-Libertad Jeepney driving passed Negros Showroom on Lacson St.

There was an unfortunate incident which happened to some of the Korean students at the USLS where the jeepney driver demanded 100 pesos from the students who traveled from USLS to Lacson St on the Shopping-LaSalle jeepney (normally it would cost only 6 pesos each at the time). If you are a foreigner, do not get on an empty jeep and pay immediately by saying "bayad" (pronounced buh-YAD)

Taking a jeepney in Bacolod is one of the easiest things you'll do while in this great city. Not only do the jeeps go almost everywhere in the city, but the drivers are extremely helpful and will get you where you need to go. For foreigners, jeepneys are best thought of as the same as a bus. The Negros jeepney is an AUV based on old Ford Fiestas and built locally.

If you've ever ridden a jeepney in Manila, you probably used the words "kuya", "po", and "para" when speaking to the driver and "dong" in Cebu. However, this isn't how things are done in Bacolod City.

Even though most Filipinos speak at least a little bit of the major languages of the Philippines, not all do. It is unsafe to assume the driver will know exactly what you mean, and with all the traffic noise, the driver can't listen carefully for every word.