THE LOVE BUS IS BACK IN MAKATI; WHY ARE PEOPLE SO NOSTALGIC OVER IT?

(SPOT.ph) Few things get Filipinos excited about public transportation in this country—Libreng Sakay programs, free seats in rail transit, and calls for a Love Bus revival.

The Love Bus is so locally iconic that it inspired Mike Pedero’s OPM hit called "(Mahal Kong) Love Bus," as well as the Philippines Airlines’ more recent move to pattern its fifth Airbus A350-900 over it. It’s clear that the Love Bus left a lasting mark on the collective memory of Filipinos as the first air-conditioned bus in the country.

Now it is making a modern comeback in Makati City, operating as e-jeepneys at P14 per passenger. Servicing commuters at Circuit Makati and One Ayala, these Love Buses can be seen roaming in and around the Central Business District from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. on weekends.

In a 2021 Philippine Transportation Journal article written by Rene S. Santiago, the former president of the Transportation Science Society of the Philippines, he called the Love Bus was "a short-lived success story on the streets of Manila." So, what is behind the rise and fall of the Philippines' most cherished bus?

Also read: Whatever Happened to the Double-Decker Buses That Used to Ply Metro Manila’s Roads?

The rise and fall: a short history of the Love Bus

To understand its journey, we must revisit the conditions that prompted the need for a bus reform.

During the 1970s, the transportation landscape in ASEAN countries was going through significant reforms—and the Philippines was no exception. Air-conditioning in buses was non-existent back then. Bus windows remained open for ventilation, but with it came the tropical heat and pollution. The soot was nothing compared to today, but the fact remains: Philippine buses were due for an overhaul, and maybe even a makeover.

Amidst this backdrop, the Love Bus emerged as a standout among the many bus lines that came to life during that period. The Love Bus line was introduced the by Metro Manila Transit Corporation (MMTC), a body created through an executive order by former President Ferdinand Marcos in 1974. Contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t Imelda Marcos who conceived the concept of the Love Bus—at least what Santiago claims (but Senator Imee Marcos would disagree). Like everyone else, she fell in love with it and chose to co-opt the project as her own as the Metro Manila governor back then.

Santiago noted that this had eventually led to "the identification of the Love Bus as her baby," with the name drawing inspiration from a popular Hollywood movie at that time, The Love Bug.

Painted in blue with red hearts and kiss marks over it, the Love Bus line was a striking presence on Philippine roads. It operated on a flat fare and a fixed schedule, with a built-in stereo music to boot. Did we mention it was the first air-conditioned bus service in the country that followed international standards?

"Air-conditioned buses may already be a dime a dozen but, at the time, it was something unique," The Philippine Star columnist Tony Montemayor recalled in a an editorial piece. "For middle-class kids like me, it gave the feeling of being in a chauffeur-driven 'luxury' car where I could just sit back and enjoy the ride."

The Love Bus also played a pioneering role in testing new routes. Initially, it plied the routes of Escolta and Makati, but later expanded to pass through Quezon Avenue, the University of the Philippines, and other key locations in Metro Manila. From students to the working class, it seemed like almost everyone lined up for a chance to get on the Love Bus.

Despite initial success, the MMTC accumulated a deficit of over P140 million in its first four years of operation following a hastily implemented fleet expansion, according to a report by Business Mirror.

In Santiago's report, he said the government body chose to prioritize capital upgrades over transportation policies that that could have enabled fare adjustments based on market realities, which eventually resulted in mismanagement and excessive spending. The private bus consortia was not left unscathed either, with the MMTC at one point bringing in 400 units of China-made buses that proved to be unfit for urban use. The operating 14 bus consortia refused to take them on, meaning that the units were leased instead unto newer operators. 

This is partly the reason why the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) warned against the return of Love Buses in 2017, claiming that government-owned public bus lines weren’t the solution to the bus problem in Metro Manila.

Its link to the Marcoses following the fall of the old regime was the final blow to the Love Bus' reputation. Consequently, the MMTC ceased its operations in the 1990s—the Love Bus forfeited but not forgotten.

Also read: Heading to Circuit Makati? You Can Hop on an E-Jeep From One Ayala Starting May 24

2023-06-02T08:09:05Z dg43tfdfdgfd