DB Product Review

It sure is worth riding the MRT on a rush hour, if you can survive it.  I mean, would you pay a lot for a cab?  Plus the fact you would also wait very long in a taxi bay just to get one?   You can just devote the same energy to line up at the MRT instead.  If you are thinking of taking the bus this time, you should also have to accept that by taking such, you have to add an additional hour or so to your travel time in going home.

Don’t get me wrong though, because riding the MRT on a rush hour is not for everybody as it requires ultimate patience.   First, it’s a smart move to buy what we call a stored value card (SVT), for only a hundred, so you can bypass the terrible line in getting a riding ticket and say bye for a while to those beside the ticket counter asking “Excuse me Sir, konting tulong lang po para sa blah, blah, blah.”  Second, make sure you take a heavy dose or probably it’s even better to overdose on vitamin C (make that 10,000 milligrams), so you would not be sick and feverish after the “horror train” ride (lol).

Third, make sure you don’t feel like peeing or visiting the MRT restroom because of the very long cue, plus it sucks and it stinks - lacking the facilities.  It would take you 50 years because (I’ll cite an example) there is only 1 bowl in Shaw Boulevard Station and only 3 urinals.  As far as I remember on my experience before, I remember the toilet bowl area was even locked, then one of the urinals was even clogged or unusable.  Adding insult to the injury, there’s even no water for flushing and water coming out of the sink!  

That is why I think the official who is always on TV, being grilled for the way the MRT is run, really deserve whatever he is experiencing right now.  They might not even have tried the rush hour scenario themselves, as they would selfishly be inside their SUV rather than being a great leader by example, by riding the MRT once in a while, on a rush hour of course, to test if they are providing positive service to their passengers.

Off to some good news:  If you're boarding the train in a rush hour or not, remember that even if your card has only P1 left in value, you get a free ride.   

photo: funnycoolstuff.com
So, for our smart traveling commuters out there, always keep in mind that crowds may be a fact of life during rush hour when everyone is going or going home from work.  But do remember not to let your grandma or girlfriend go with you when you ride the train at rush hour, because it really becomes "crushed hour".  You lose a lot of calories, so it’s a win-win situation.  You also lose your face based on passengers’ encounters that you really would be cheek-to-cheek with other commuters, as in literally “magkakapalitan na kayo ng mukha” from too much overcrowding.  Sandwich ika nga.

photo: dumpaday.com
It’s more Fun in the Philippines! =)