As a probinsyana who loves to take an adventure through the busy roads of Metro Manila, commuting is both confusing and frustrating. It is like a big maze with heavy traffic and puzzling road signs. Metro Manila has a lot to offer if only Filipinos know where to start and where to go. If you hate to get lost in the city again, Sakay.ph is an app for us that will help us independently navigate Metro Manila.
Sakay.ph is a user-friendly website and mobile application where it will show you the best way to go around Metro Manila, including its neighboring cities. You simply have to put your starting point and your end point and it will give you the cheapest, the fastest, and the least walking options for routes.
It will show you the complete route; from the signage of the bus or jeepney including the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) or Light Rail Transit (LRT) station, the location where you will board and where you will get off, the exact map where you will walk, and the fare for each transportation that you will take. The app will also give you the estimated time of arrival for each route.
The application is accessible only with internet connection. However, if you are using the app it will save your most recent search and you can see it even when offline.
Sakay started in 2013 as a side project entry of Philip Cheang and Thomas Dy in a hackathon where the task is to build an application based on publicly accessible data from the Department of Transportation (DOTr), which won the same year’s Philippine Transit App Challenge Open Community Award.
In 2016, they relaunched with iOS and Android apps as they improved responsive mapping. A year after that, they introduced Traincheck where you can see the estimated congestion level in MRT with the help of live feed from DOTr.
The software is continuously being updated, this includes the changes in routes and fares. Additionally, users can submit new and alternate routes through the website or the app as a way to help widen the reach of the software.
So, if you want to be a strong independent adventurer that wants to conquer the confusing twists and turns of Metro Manila, Sakay.ph will be your mightiest weapon. By supporting local softwares like this, we can make the city accessible not just for tourists but especially for Filipino commuters. Through this initiative, everyone can find their way through the busy streets of the city without getting lost again.
