Exclusive - Become A Master Commuter In Manila With These Tips! Check This Out!

Beat the rush hours with these tips and channel your inner master commuter!

Living in the Metro has both pros and cons. Access to places are more possible. However, there are a lot of factors along our every day journey that could affect our day to day trips. 

The key to prevent delay is of course to,

1. Wake Up Early

As the old saying goes,

"The early bird catches the worm."

If your shift starts at 10 a.m. then you better set your alarm atleast 1 and a half hour before it. The earlier you get up, the more time you can have to fix yourself and prepare for work. If you wake up late, then, most probably, you'll have no more to spare for your personal grooming. 

We aim to look presentable at work, don't we?

2. Check Updates

Early in the morning, there are weather forecasts and news that could be informative to your trip or commute. 

Tune in to your AM Stations or watch your morning shows to be updated of the latest weather and traffic. With this, you would know ahead of time what you are about to encounter outside!

3. Double Check Your Stuff

We all know that a commuter is always in a hurry and is prone to leaving things behind. Always check your belongings. Especially the important ones: beep cards, keys, cellphones, and wallets. 

Keep your presence of mind so you don't go through hassles.

4. Bring Coins 

"Barya lang po sa umaga"

"Coins only"

These are the usual signs we see on jeepneys and MRT loading machines. Better to be prepared than not, carry a lot of coins in your purses because this might save you from a long line of people who forgot this tip.

5. Always Load Your Stored-Value Card

The easy and fast way to get inside the platform of any train station is a card that is topped-up. If you are always in a hurry, make sure your beep cards are loaded with enough to get you go to/from school/work.

6. Be Prepared To Any Situation

Worst case scenarios are in the minds of every commuter. Maybe of too much Final Destination movies or maybe just overly-cautious. We never know what's out there. You might be riding with a murderer, a psychopath, who knows? 

Always bring first aid and prepare for self-defense. If you didn't go through classes of Taekwondo or Jujitsu before, just carry a Swiss Knife or a Pepper Spray in your pockets just in case. 

7. Patience Is A Virtue

Lastly, a master commuter must know this.

By now I hope you already know that in the Philippines, you never get anywhere that fast. There would always be a traffic somewhere caused by an accident, a lousy traffic enforcer, a driver taking up driving lessons, etc. 

There come times that your temper hits its boiling point, but remember that it doesn't help solve anything at all. If you get pissed with your smelly co-passenger or you get pushed so bad inside the train, don't waste your time arguing with them. Commuters all want the same thing: to get to their destinations. And hey, we all tried crazy ways just to get home on some point anyways, right?

A master commuter is prepared, loaded, equipped, and patient all the way.

Source: TNP, Facebook