Family ride

When I commute, I notice that drivers often bring members of their family with them.

At times, drivers of passenger jeepneys bring their wives with them. Their wives are the ones who collect the fare and hand out the change.

Sometimes they bring their young children along with them. These are kids about 3 to 5 years old who do nothing but sit and watch the world go by.

And more often than not, it is the whole family who come along. The wife does her thing collecting fare and giving out change while the kids sleep, play or just sit and stare.

Family members mostly ride shotgun with them. Once they do this, the two-passenger front seat becomes off limits to passengers. Other times, wives sit behind the driver holding with her the cash box.

Even though bringing their families with them means one or two passengers worth of fare removed for the duration of the trip, it makes life easier for the driver. Bringing their wives remove the need for them to collect fares and give back changes. It also give them time to bond. Talk about things and life and plans for the future. It also allows the family to be together and when the jeepney reaches the far end of its travel, they can all go malling.

Driving passenger utility vehicles is not just about earning. It is also about sharing your line of work with your family.