The electric jeepneys have come a long way. From the industrial zones to commercial establishments to residential subdivisions to LGUs to school campuses to resorts and now, the malls. Which is but natural for after all, the Philippines is the mall capital of Asia. Malling is the country’s national past time. And malls have defined the course of development for the Philippines for so long. In fact, mall population density is considered a very good barometer of the country’s economic condition.

And as real estate developers are increasingly going green, there is a trend much welcomed by the public in mall and other commercial establishments. That is the EJeepney as a mode of alternative clean transport for the development. An EJeepney they can hop on to to take them around the sprawling mall and from the mall to their residences or nearest bus stop.

Filinvest City in Alabang is a prime example of EJeepneys being seamlessly integrated into the public transport spectrum of this 240-hectare prime development in Muntinlupa. Currently, 20 units of EJeepneys are servicing the office workers, call center agents and visitors of the real estate development, ferrying them from one building to the other in this sprawling commercial complex.

In Legaspi City, Embarcadero Mall uses EJeepneys to shuttle mall shoppers to and from the mall to the other public transport access hubs in the city. Even in Zamboanga, this green practice is now being adapted by Southway Mall.

Rommel Juan, president of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines says that EVAP welcomes these green initiatives of the mall developers as it makes perfect sense to introduce eco-friendly EJeepneys. “They emit no smoke and are very quiet. No air and noise pollution. So passengers are happier and so is the environment”.

“We need to introduce more of these systems around the country so that we can reach critical mass and achieve economies of scale”, he adds. “Our organization fully supports these initiatives and will even work with the developers in installing battery charging and swapping stations and other electric vehicle essentials such as retail financing and fleet operators. We will supply the complete mass transport solution package. All the mall developer needs to do is give us the area to serve”.