60% of Filipinos Believe Transportation Operators Do the ‘Right Thing’ to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 – SWS

LOOK: Traditional jeepney driver Michael Navarra transports passengers to their respective destinations in Quezon City on Wednesday, July 29, as the LTFRB gives a start signal to 1,943 jeepneys to resume operations and travel 17 new routes in Metro Manila. File photo of INQUIRER / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines – At least 60 percent of Filipinos believe that public transport operators are taking “adequate” measures to prevent possible transmission of coronavirus between drivers and passengers, a more recent survey by Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

SWS explained in its report published Thursday that 27 percent of respondents, on the other hand, considered the actions of the operators as “inappropriate”, while 13 are undecided.

The 60 percent appropriate comment consists of 24 percent who said “very appropriate” and 36 percent said “somewhat appropriate”; on the other hand, 27 percent who said it was inappropriate include 19 percent who said it was “somewhat inappropriate” and eight percent with “very inappropriate” responses.

The polling company also analyzed the reaction of people who own vehicles compared to those who travel to move from one area to another.

SWS said 44 percent of adult Filipinos do not own any type of vehicle, while the remaining 56 percent own at least one. Of vehicle owners, five percent own four-wheeled motor vehicles (cars, jeepney, e-jeep), 13 percent own three-wheelers (tricycle, electric tricycle), 32 percent with motorcycles and electric bicycles, while 13 percent own bicycles.

Naturally, commuters are less satisfied with the actions of transport operators compared to vehicle owners: 57 percent of commuters said the measures are adequate, compared to 62 percent of vehicle owners who expressed the same views.

“The proportion of those who say that the actions of public transport owners to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among their drivers and passengers are ‘adequate’ is slightly but significantly lower among those who do not own a vehicle (57%) than between owned vehicles (62%), ”said SWS.

“On the other hand, opinions hardly vary among vehicle owners: 57% of owners of motor four-wheelers consider the actions of public transport owners to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as ‘appropriate’. , 53% among owners of motor three-wheelers, and 64% both among owners of motor two-wheelers and bicycle owners, ”he added.

Meanwhile, only 51 percent of adults in Metro Manila said transportation owners’ actions to prevent coronavirus transmissions were “adequate,” compared to 64 percent in Visayas, 62 percent in Mindanao. and 59 percent in Balance Luzon.

When Metro Manila went into general community quarantine last June, a major concern among government officials was whether it was safe to let traditional jeepeneys operate, as passengers sitting close to each other would mean higher risks of contracting COVID-19.

This led authorities to temporarily ban jeepneys from operating again, due to perceived risks. But a think-tank firm insisted that traditional jeepneys could be safer since they do not use an air conditioning system, allowing air to move freely in contrast to new buses and jeepneys with the windows closed.

According to SWS, the survey results were obtained through computer-assisted telephone and mobile phone interviews with 1,249 adult Filipinos. These are then distributed according to population projections, with 328 coming from Balance Luzon, 309 from Metro Manila, 312 from Mindanao, and 300 from Visayas.

SWS said they maintain a sampling error margin of ± 3% for national percentages, ± 6% for Metro Manila, ± 5% for Balance Luzon, ± 6% for Visayas and ± 6% for Mindanao.

JPV

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