Data-Driven Jeepney Modernization: SafeTravelPH Research Featured at 16th National Convention on Statistics

Manila, Philippines – October 2, 2025 — At the 16th National Convention on Statistics organized by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Ms. Pamela Cunanan, a Mobility Research Analyst at SafeTravelPH, presented pioneering research on leveraging telematics data to develop transport indicators for public jeepney services in the Philippines.

Her presentation, titled “Developing Transport Indicators for Philippine Public Transport: Insights from Modern Jeepney Telematics,” was featured under the Infrastructure and Transportation Statistics Session held at The Manila Hotel.

The study under SafeTravelPH's Parasol platform addresses a critical gap in the ongoing Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP): the lack of robust monitoring tools to assess service improvements following fleet upgrades. Despite modern jeepneys being equipped with GPS-based telematics systems, Ms. Cunanan noted that these data streams are often underutilized and rarely translated into actionable performance metrics.

"In a separate conference last July, I demonstrated how telematics data from modern jeepneys can reveal insights about public transport operations," said Cunanan. "This time, I took it a step further—using the same data to propose indicators that measure service quality after fleet modernization."

Using 54 days of telematics data from six modern jeepneys operating in Iloilo City, the study segmented trips into complete and cut units based on predefined local government reference points. From this segmentation, Cunanan and her team derived prototype operational indicators, including:

• Trip Completion Rate

• Cut Trip Incidence

• Overdwelling Frequency and Duration

• EcoTrip Classification

• Seasonality and Time-of-Day Patterns

  
  

These indicators serve as measurable proxies for reliability, efficiency, viability, and sustainability in public transport service delivery.

The research underscores the potential for government agencies such as the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), and the PSA to adopt evidence-based benchmarks in evaluating modern jeepney operations. By turning raw telematics into meaningful statistics, the study opens the door to more data-driven governance and policy in the transport sector.

As the Philippines continues its push toward transport modernization, initiatives like this highlight the importance of complementing infrastructure upgrades with smart, statistics-based performance monitoring—ensuring that modernization leads not just to newer vehicles, but also to better service for the commuting public.