If you are foreigner from various countries, riding a jeepney in the Philippines is already an adventure.. and fun (we’ll some find it that way, may not for the others). There are many articles mentioning their first experience in riding a jeepney (from asiatravelbug.com), Riding a jeepney like a Pro (from planyourtripnow.com) and some tips and precautions (from tenminutes.ph). While those are mostly experienced in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, those in many ways can be seen and experienced in other parts of the country too and Cebu City is not an exception to that daily ride scenerio.
The Difference?
The difference is language, that’s what this article for. Though Cebu jeepney drivers and conductors can corresponds through english and tagalog but if you say it in Bisaya, it’s like you’re saying with a style and people are easily amazed by your knowledge of speaking the native language.
The conversation
Here are common conversation exchanges while riding a jeepney in Cebu City. This is useful as well whenever you take a public utility rides going to Cebu provinces. (Please see our article on Cebu Land Transport system)
-You want to say stop! you say “para!”
-You want to dis-embarked at the jeepney stop, you say “para”or “lugar” or “lugar lang”
-You want to dis-embarked at the next corner, you say “lugar unya sa eskina” or “lugar unya sa unahan”
-You want a to dis-embarked in specific location, like “take me to SM Mall”, you say “ihatod ko sa SM Mall” or “i-urong ko sa SM Mall”
-You give your fare, you say “akong plete” or “plete nako” or “palihug ko sa plete”
-You receive the change, you will hear, “dia ra ang sukli” or “sukli nimo” means here is your change.
If you wan’t to learn more Bisaya or Cebuano Pharases, you can learn it quick from Bisdak Words Common Bisaya Phrases
Additional tips:
Know the routes, please see our previous article on jeepney numbers and corresponding routes . If you find difficulty of going somewhere, take a taxi instead and ask the driver where you wanted to go and if he know the place (most likely he is). Better yet Grab a car or simply Grab is also now in Cebu so install that app either in android or ios (needs connection to internet)
You can also comment below where you wanna go, we’ll try to respond back. We don’t know all the places but some readers might know and be able to help as well.
Cebu Bus Terminals
Cebu bus terminals are mainly subdivided into two main locations. The North Bus Terminal (NBT) and the South Bus Terminal (SBT). See our full blog about Cebu Land Transport System.