My best friend lives in Angeles, Pampanga, so we see each other once a month, or even less. Most of the time, she goes to Manila to visit me and stays with her partner. So, for a change, I went to Pampanga instead. And with the Popcycle Friend e-bike, a little experiment was born.
Instead of using one mode of transportation, I used several: e-bike | MRT | P2P bus | Grab | e-bike. This is called multimodal travel. It’s a mix-and-match approach to getting around. Everyone does it, even if they don’t realize it.
And with a folding e-bike, it’s even easier.
Getting Out of Manila
My first challenge was getting out of Manila, and part one of my multimodal travel epic starts with a 2km bike ride to the MRT station.
I left on a Friday, a little bit after lunch. I used the Friend to get from my place in Salcedo Village to the Buendia MRT station. At nearly 19kg though, it was a little hefty to carry onto the escalator. Still, bringing it in and out of the train wasn’t a big issue. The whole ride from Buendia to Trinoma was smooth, and I was even able to get a seat after Guadalupe Station.
When I arrived at Trinoma, I got lost. I can never get used to the maze-like layout of the mall, and getting to the P2P station took longer than waiting for the bus to leave. Thankfully, several people showed me where the terminal was and which bus to take.
The Long Way to Pampanga
The next step of this multimodal travel experiment was actually reaching Pampanga. The P2P bus is actually operated by Victory Liner, and it has two stops: SM Clark and Clark Airport. My stop was at SM Clark. I made it just in time for the 3:30pm departure, and, given that it was a Friday, I was expecting moderate to heavy traffic along NLEX. I wasn’t wrong, and the trip took around 2.5-3 hours.
I assumed that because the Friend was small and foldable, I could place it beside me or along the aisle if I were at the back of the bus. The conductor said that I needed to put the bike in the luggage compartment. Keeping it upright is a no-no because the bike can roll around if there aren’t many bags or boxes inside, so I had to let it lie down on the non-drive side.
The whole ride from Trinoma to SM Clark was restful, but every bump I felt brought me to the e-bike below. Would it still work by the time I unfolded it and started biking along Clark? It wasn’t even mine to begin with, so my anxiety was high until I reached my destination.
Biking Along Clark *Grimace Emoji*
I hopped off the bus and immediately got the Friend out of the compartment to quadruple-check if it was still working. Nothing wrong, nothing out of the ordinary. Phew!
To get the anxiety out of my system, I decided to bike along the famous Clark Cycling Path for a bit before heading to my friend’s place.
Main takeaway: This cycling path is at best performative, and Clark is heavily Americanized, heavily car-centric. I’m not sure why it’s trying to brand itself as a bike-friendly place when it only caters to sports-oriented activities, not actual, practical bike commuting. Sure, you have access to several areas of interest (which are usually malls), but it feels more symbolic and touristy than anything.
By seven in the evening, I was getting hungry and tired. I’ve been on the road for six hours. Still, I wanted to push my luck and try to wayfind my ass to my friend’s place. Thing is though, I’m not one to bike alone in a new area. After asking my friend where I should go, she suggested that we meet at Marquee Mall instead, so it would be easy for us to grab a ride home.
It was hard getting a GrabCar because of a festival going on that weekend, but when a driver decided to pick me up from where I was, I was more than happy to sit down for a few minutes. The driver packed the Friend into the trunk and off we went to Marquee Mall.
The last leg was getting to my friend’s place in Angeles. After having my fill at Wangfu, I was back in the mood to bike, so after a quick trip to the grocery for beer, I decided last-minute to convoy the GrabCar with the e-bike.
Was it safe? No.
But was it fun? Also no.
Would I do it again? Hell yes.
We made it to her place before 10pm and, man, was I beat. We caught up on the latest showbiz happenings in our lives and eventually fell asleep around 1am. We spent the rest of our weekend going around Angeles, mostly without the e-bike.
If you’re wondering how much I spent on that one-way travel? My total was around P620 (MRT ticket, P2P fare, Grab fare). That’s barely enough cash for gas with the distance I traveled. Having the Friend made multimodal travel more affordable and attainable since I used it as first-mile, last-mile transport.
Is Multimodal Travel Hard?
So… what do you think about my experience? I’ve tried inter-island multimodal travel earlier this year, too, and it was long and tiring both ways.
In general though, multimodal travel isn’t hard. My sequence felt long, but it wasn’t complicated.
This just goes to show that multimodal travel is the norm. Unfortunately, though, even within city limits, the system isn’t consistent. Imagine having a clear and well-integrated multimodal network within Metro Manila, and leading out of it (with respect to the environment). Every traveler wins.
Multimodal Travel Matters in Car-Centric Countries
Isn’t a car enough to travel around? Sure. It can be, but consider the traffic, fuel costs, and other factors that come in when using just one mode of transport. Also, think about people who can’t or don’t want to drive: Persons with disabilities or limited mobility, and those who can’t afford a car, among others. A two-ton vehicle isn’t actually “enough” for most people. We need a healthy transportation system that provides people with choices on how they want to get around.
Multimodal travel is not anti-car. It’s pro-people.
About the Friend E-bike
The Popcycle Friend is a compact e-bike that suits various mobility situations. The battery range isn’t overkill, but it’s more than enough for city runs and last-mile trips.
It’s a utility e-bike that you’d love to have if you hate traffic, live in a small space, or need a daily commuter that can hop from bike lane to train to bus without drama. Now we’ve proven that it’s great for multimodal travel, too!
Price starts at P65,000 and is available in three colorways.
One response to “Can Multimodal Travel Work for Interprovincial Trips?”
[…] As well, most trips around Metro Manila are within five to ten kilometers, round-trip. Even if one does use an electric car, it can be inefficient and still take up too much space on the road. Thus, LEVs provide more energy-efficient trips and are better suited for city-scale mobility, especially if they integrate seamlessly with public transport (i.e. going bimodal with an e-bike). […]