Typhoon Norway it ravaged the Philippines, flooding homes, leaving millions without electricity and making travel extremely difficult. In the northern town of Hagonoy in Bulacan province, Typhoon Noru, known locally as Typhoon Karding, only worsened a long-standing problem. Residents have been dealing with flooded streets and traffic problems for a long time. Still, motorcycle taxis have found innovative ways to stay in business and provide much-needed transportation to their customers. According to Reutersthese drivers modified their vehicles to allow them to drive through flooded roads while keeping their passengers dry.
For several years, the streets of Hagonoy have been flooded due to heavy rains during the monsoon season, reaching up to two meters (6.5 ft). But life must go on, and residents were forced to wade through flooded streets or use boats, according to Reuters.
Motorcycle taxi styles
Motorcycle taxis usually carry one passenger; which rides on a pillar behind the driver. They can carry more passengers in the Philippines. There, motorcycles have sidecars, or seats, that extend sideways thanks to a T-shaped cross beam. When stretched using cross beams, they are known as habal habalgold skylabs, after Skylab, the first space station launched by NASA. There are also autorickshaws, which are covered tricycles. Companies like Angkas offer motorcycle taxis for hire in the nation’s capital, Manila.
Motorcycle taxi drivers from Hagonoy modified their motorcycles to enable them to cope with the floods. Drivers did this by adding steel tubes to the forks of their cab. This raises them a few feet, so passengers and driver stay dry during the ride and the bike can handle flooding.
Adaptable people
Albay Towers he points to this innovation as a demonstration of the adaptability of the people of the Philippines and their endless ingenuity. Across the country, motorcycle taxis emerged as a way to deal with the traffic problems the country faced as it developed. On a trip to the Philippines, you will definitely see these vehicles everywhere, sometimes carrying up to 10 people!
Motorcycle taxis are popular because they are affordable and accessible. This is even more true in the countryside Philippines, where reliable public transport is often lacking. ace Vera files newsBefore the invention of motorcycle taxis, people in rural Philippines walked everywhere or used multicabs. The problem with multicabins is that they needed to fill up before they could leave, and because they were so big, they would take a long time. In addition, they had more defined routes where the motorcycle taxis can more freely improvise the route according to the needs of the passengers.
Now mobility is less of an issue as people have the ability to travel longer distances than they could in the past. Now, with this next motorcycle taxi innovation, the limitations of mobility have been overcome once again. As Albay Tours reminds us, this is a testament to the resilience and adaptability of the people of the Philippines.