From the Makers of TrafficDito — looloo is now Available on the App Store!
The looloo iPhone app is now ready for download on the App Store! Download the app now and start discovering Manila’s best places!
Now Available on the App Store!
It’s time to discover all of Manila’s best places with looloo!
We hope you like it as much as we enjoyed building it.
For all things looloo, check out the looloo blog, like looloo on Facebook, and follow @looloo on Twitter!
When it comes to the craziness of Metro Manila traffic, this is why SAFETY should always be priority number 1!
HELP FROM HOME: Several ways you can contribute to the monsoon flood relief without having to leave your home. All you need is an internet connection or your cellphone!
Umagang kay Daldal: Which Radio Talk Show Gets You Through Morning Traffic?
Ah, morning traffic in Metro Manila… the perfect complement to that first cup of coffee. Not.
It doesn’t matter how much of a “morning person” you are, traffic has made the simple task of getting your butt to school or work in the morning anything but fun. It’s probably not as bad as say, 3-Day Sale Friday traffic, but thinking about that extra hour of sleep you gave up just to get to work on time isn’t exactly the best way to start the day.
Of course, entertainment options for most of us are in short supply during our daily commute. With most people driving (no TV) or being prone to carsickness (no reading), most of us stick to good ol’ FM radio to keep our mornings even slightly bearable.
We all have our favorites. We at TrafficDito.com ask: which one’s yours? :)
Good Times with Mo (Magic 89.9)
Three words: Strip Geography Bee. Just the kind of thing the show show’s known for. With infamous DJ Mo Twister at the helm (who now hosts the show live from New York), “Good Times” is highlighted by his no-BS (and often hilarious) commentary on everything from sports, politics, showbiz, and all things sexy. Despite the show having a history of changing format and hosts over the years, Good Times’ popularity has gone nowhere but up and shows no signs of slowing down.
Of course, not everyone’s a fan. I’ve lost count of how many times the show’s found itself in hot water for taking their usual antics and gimmicks a bit too far. Their most recent suspension, widely publicized in media (people went crazy on Twitter!), was to some, extremely offensive. At the same time though, the fact that they have enough influence over listeners to cause such a stir is without a doubt, testament to their popularity (or notoriety, maybe?). Of course with tweets like this, can you really blame people for tuning in?
Warning: That picture she tweeted? NSFW.
The Wake Up Show (Mellow 94.7)
“SMILE! But don’t just say cheese… you gotta #BECHEEZ!” reads their official Facebook page. A lot more “toned-down” compared to their Magic counterparts, The Wake Up Show with Vince and Tracy is another widely-popular talk show for the morning crowd. Sticking a bit more to the “traditional” format of callers, contests, guests, and news, it’s the hosts’ energy that really sets them apart… hence the tagline!
The positivity and the crazy upbeat tone the show takes on is enough to make morning commutes seem much shorter than they really are. The chemistry between the two hosts on the show is a pretty good picker-upper for those days when getting out of bed seems like the last thing you want to do. While The Wake Up Show is the youngest among the shows featured here, led by Vince’s wit and Tracy’s, well… adorable-ness (and with a face to match! *swoon*), it’s shaping up to be a morning radio staple for many more years to come.
The Morning Rush (RX 93.1)
Chico and Delamar are practically radio LEGENDS. I remember listening to them from my grade school days and until this day, their loyal following of “Rushers” are what make the show as popular as ever. Multi-awarded (they recently bagged the 2012 Yahoo OMG Award for Best Radio Show) and well-loved, The Morning Rush is like a good wine — only getting better with age.
The radio royalty duo have kept their tried and tested “Top Ten” list feature for years — and it works. Why change what isn’t broken, after all? It’s gained such a cult following that they even released it in book form, making its way to the very top of National Bookstore and Powerbooks’ bestseller lists!
Now, with these shows on air, I guess Metro Manila’s morning traffic isn’t so bad after all! It sure beats the monotonous beeping and engine growls we’d be hearing otherwise.
So which one of ‘em gets YOU through morning traffic?
-EJ, Product Marketing Padawan
TrafficDito App Makes its Showbiz Debut (LOL) on TV Patrol!
I almost wet my pants when I heard the news. Okay, not really, but finding out that the TrafficDito iPhone app was featured in last Sunday’s broadcast of TV Patrol was pretty cool! It got the rest of the team pretty pumped too. For lack of a better metaphor, we felt like the proud pageant mom seeing her baby’s on-stage debut. *sheds a tear*
Alongside Weatherbug and PDC World Disaster Alerts, TrafficDito was mentioned as one of the apps to download on your smartphone (iPhone, in our case) to prepare for the rainy season. With rain comes flooding, and with flooding comes crippling gridlocks on the road. Of course, that’s where TD comes in — giving you guys that oh-so-important heads up to keep you from ending up like good ol’ Chris Lao.
We managed to find a replay of the episode c/o the ABS-CBN TV Patrol website, or you can check out this super quick vidcap of the original:
A big thanks to the awesome Abe Olandres of Yugatech.com for the mention and Ms. Apples Jalandoni for covering the story. And of course, all the people who’ve helped spread the word about TrafficDito! We’re just happy to help out in any way we can. As of Monday morning, TrafficDito was number 7 on the Top Free Apps list on the App Store! With more people reporting, we only hope that TD becomes even more useful to motorists and commuters out there.
For even just a little while, TD beat out Google Chrome. Awwwyyeaah. LOL.
Again, big high fives to everyone for all the support! Hope you continue to send in your traffic reports, whether on the app, or using the #TrafficDito hashtag on Twitter! Don’t forget, each report still counts for a P5 donation from us to Tulong Dunong through The AralDito Project. :)
-EJ, Product Marketing Padawan
Uhhh… Mag-Commute Nalang Tayo! 5 Cars We’d Rather Not Be Seen In
Even with the unbelievable traffic along Metro Manila’s streets, and despite not having a legitimate automotive industry of our own, Filipinos loooove cars. So much so that those who can are willing to pay WAAAAY more than sticker price to own the hottest rides in the world. We’re looking at you, Willie Revillame (and your P30M Ferrari).
The horsepower, the styling, or the years and years of history behind the car brand’s name? Right. And EDSA traffic on a Friday is light. Unfortunately, we feel that the truth is, most people buy cars just for show. Bah. Who needs ‘em!
Instead, we decided to feature what we felt were the cars you WOULDN’T want to show off. We scoured the interwebz to find funkiest/ugliest/weirdest looking vehicles we could find! This one’s for all the people who found themselves staring at the Porsche parked next to them, you’d be proud to pull up next to one of these automotive flukes!
1957 Aurora
Designed by a priest (yes, you read right) to be one of the safest cars of its time, the Aurora was definitely NOT designed to be one of the prettiest. In fact, it was so ugly that only ONE prototype was ever built. One site even described it as being “so ugly, it’s melting.” Ouch.
If you’d ever want to see this runt of the litter in person, someone actually found, restored, and had it displayed in the Beaulieu Motor Museum in England.
1958 Zunndapp Janus
Wondering which way the car is facing? Yeah, so am I. I’m not too sure traffic was bad enough in the ‘50s to want a car that you could argue isn’t really counterflowing. Oh and get this, the rear seats actually faced backwards. The point? It meant you’d have to actually watch the people behind you making fun of you.
Apparently, the Zunndapp Janus was built by motorcycle manufacturers somewhere in Germany. Should’ve stuck to building two wheelers, guys.
1998 Fiat Multipla
You’d think that approaching the new millenium, people would get better at spotting bad car designs. Looking like it’s part van, part car, I can’t help but be reminded of a Platypus while looking at it. Scratch that, a zombie platypus… Yeah, that sounds about right.
Okay, so I did a quick Wikipedia search on the Multipla and found out that it won the Top Gear “Car of the Year” (2000) and was voted Top Gear Magazine “Family Car of the Year” for four years in a row (2001–2004).” Ano raw??
2010 Sbarro Autobau
A few Google searches here and there revealed that this recent concept car garnered mixed reactions from different sources. Autoblog.com called it a “Geneva Classic” while Jalopnik.com called it “the ugliest car we’ve ever seen.” Personally, I think it looks like a cross between a Lamborghini and my dad’s old electric razor.
I’m kind of on the fence with this one. While it reminds me of something my 8-year old self would’ve loved because of its alien-ish appeal, it’s definitely something I wouldn’t want to be caught along EDSA traffic in today. Sbarro Autobau? I might just pick a Sbarro deep-dish over this one.
1999 Corbin Sparrow
Let’s start with some pros. First of all, it’s electric, meaning it’s probably slightly better for the environment. Second… uhhhhh… oh forget it, it looks like a GIANT TOE.
So next time you find yourself stuck in C5 traffic, look on the bright side: at least you’re not stuck in traffic in one of these rides. If you HAD to choose one of the five as your main means of getting around, which one would you choose?
-EJ, Product Marketing Padawan
P.S. Don’t forget to download the TrafficDito iPhone app!
Take That, Crappy L300 with No Aircon! 5 Out-of-this-world School Buses!
TrafficDito.com’s early morning reports have confirmed what we’ve been dreading these past few weeks: back-to-school traffic.
At around 7AM and 4PM, we can expect a surge in the number of vehicles on the road, probably numbering in the thousands. This, plus the rain and flooding we’ve been experiencing lately only means that we’re probably in for some gloomy mornings ahead. Le sigh.
Realization 1: Our school buses look weird…
I had a strange brain-fart the other day while stuck in traffic. Our school buses look pretty weird. Everyone has this idea of how a typical school bus looks like: big yellow behemoths that reminded us of the Magic School Bus from when we were kids, perhaps the same we still see on TV today. Here in the Philippines though, they more often than not look like these:
Realization 2: So do some other countries’!
Realizing that my image of a school bus had been ingrained in my head by years of western television, I realized that we can’t be the only country with “weird” buses. Check out some of the funkier-looking buses I found from other parts of the world:
India’s Rickshaw “Buses”
In the overcrowded city of New Delhi, it’s not unusual to find these rickshaw school buses around the streets. The city being even more crowded than Metro Manila, I suppose the added mobility and ability to squeeze in through tiny alleys are a big help in getting the kids to school on time.
Dutch Pedal Buses
While better known for their… uhhh… botanical industry, it’s important to note that the Dutch are also crazy bike fanatics. It makes sense then, that they’d want their kids to get in on the pedal-pushing hobby pretty early on in life! This kid-powered bus is called the bicycle school bus, and is sold by the same makers of the beerbike. According to this article, they’ve already sold 25 of these transports around Europe. The main reason these probably won’t sell locally? They cost around $15,000 each!
Japan’s cute-sy animal buses (what will they think of next??)
Leave it to the Japanese to take the simple concept of the school bus and take it over the top it with their obsession for all things cute-sy! Not that I’m complaining, I can imagine my 5-year old self actually being excited to go to school if it means I’d get to ride inside a giant puppy.
Awkward enough to be featured twice, Japan (AGAIN) and their anime buses
I suppose I spoke too soon when I asked what they’d think of next. Well, at least it shows that they’re proud of their culture! :D
Brazilian School Boat
Okay, so technically it’s not a school BUS (although check it out, the thing’s still got wheels! LOL). Matching the traditional school bus colors and brandishing the word “Escola” on the side, this picture was taken somewhere in Bahia, Brazil. While eccentric, it sure beats what we experience over here during typhoon season.
So I guess our school buses over here aren’t so weird after all. In fact, there are tons of other weird ways to get around. In fact, I’m all for our school buses over here. The more carpoolers and bus-riding students we have, the better. Can you imagine the traffic if each kid pulled up to school in their own car?!
So which one of these strange school transports would you want to try?
-EJ, Product Marketing Padawan
P.S.
During that early morning pileup, don’t forget to report traffic by downloading the TrafficDito iPhone app!
H2-OMG! Wild Downpour Drowns Metro Manila in Heavy Traffic Reports!
Sudden flooding last Thursday caused some hellish traffic along some of Metro Manila’s main roads, including SLEX and several stretches of EDSA. This left a lot of motorists frustrated, hungry, and downright pissed off. Reports poured in on TrafficDito.com and through the TrafficDito iPhone app, and in just a couple of hours, the rain had crippled Metro Manila’s streets and pretty much ruined the rest of the night for a lot of its residents.
And as expected, Twitter went crazy!
Thinking that it probably won’t be the last time we’ll be experiencing this weather in the coming months (and the traffic that comes with it), we decided to take a look at the numbers to find out just how bad traffic is when it starts to flood. Surprise surprise, we found a 36% increase in EDSA-related heavy traffic reports found on TrafficDito.com vs. the same day last week. As if weekday afternoon traffic isn’t already bad enough!
5x more reports than the same time last week!
The spike in reports at around 3pm perfectly coincides with when the heavens let loose. Areas along EDSA such as the Cubao underpass, Ortigas, and Makati were submerged in water, ranging from gutter-deep conditions to knee-deep. It took a couple of more hours for the floods to subside, even after the rain had stopped. See that 2nd spike after 6PM? Insane traffic isn’t something anyone wants to see after a long day at work.
So it seems that we’re far from ready for the rainy season. Then again, when have we ever been really ready? Just ask Chris Lao. If there’s any takeaway his experience can give us, it’s the importance of preparedness and being informed.
Until such time that we can truly say that the problem’s solved, it’d be best to be prepared. Keep something edible (and sealed!) in your car, and maybe a bottle of water as well. If you do get stuck in traffic with the rain pouring down like crazy outside, at least you won’t be hungry (something that a lot of people seemed to be complaining about through Twitter last Thursday). Oh, and that extra 5-minute bathroom break you tell yourself you probably won’t need? JUST DO IT.
Make sure your car’s well-maintained and fit for driving through some harsh downpours. Of course, avoid driving across flooded streets as much as possible, but if you must, check out our 5 must-knows for driving through floods.
Were you one of the people who found themselves stuck along EDSA last Thursday? We’d love to get a firsthand account of how it was!
Fingers crossed for this rainy season!
-EJ, Product Marketing Padawan
Floods and Metro Manila Traffic: 5 Driving Must-Knows
TD Dishes out what Chris Lao Should’ve Been Informed About
With the end of May just a few days away, it seems that the unbearable heat warmth of summer is just about to fizzle out. Malls have already begun their back-to-school sales, universities such as La Salle have already begun their new trimester, and sudden afternoon downpours have become more frequent. Sure, Metro Manila traffic due to 3-day sales is bad, and yeah, a lot of mornings are about to be ruined when thousands of students start rushing back to school every morning, but absolutely nothing beats the level of helplessness that comes with having to drive through floods.
Taking our cue from the widely-popular Chris Lao incident and from the number of flood-related traffic reports we’ve been getting on TrafficDito.com, we thought now would be a good time to make sure you guys are informed (sorry Chris, we just had to!) with some tips for wading through the upcoming flood season.
Tip No. 1: Water above the door? Wait it out a bit more.
I guess this would be the general rule of thumb for most drivers. If the flood water level is higher than the lowest point of your door, don’t even bother attempting to wade through it. Cars can float (yes, you read that right… FLOAT) in as little as a foot of water apparently. Another gauge of depth would be how high the water level is relative to your car’s wheels. If more than half of your tires are submerged, you’d best stay away.
Aside from the water level, be sure to keep an eye out for incoming traffic. Regardless of flood depth, cars headed in your direction can create waves that could find their way into your car’s engine through air intakes, which you definitely don’t want.
Tip No. 2: Keep your gears on low, but the revs up high.
If you absolutely MUST make it to that hot blind date you’ve been waiting weeks for and you simply can’t imagine letting a little bit of H2O stand in your way, at least be smart about it. Aside from getting swept away, getting water in your car’s engine is probably the worst thing that could happen while driving through floods. Stay in low gear and keep the engine revs high to help keep water out of your exhaust pipes. Try to stay close to the 2000-3000rpm range on first gear or L (1) for cars with automatic transmissions.
Also, DON’T RUSH. Again, driving faster increases the likelihood of creating waves that could enter your car’s engine. As much as you’d like to get in and out as quick as possible, remember the obvious fact that your car wasn’t built to tackle on flood. Go slow and steady. It’s not a (boat) race.
Tip No. 3: Shut off your AC
Picked up this tip from Carsavers.com: “This will make the load of pulling the car through the flood lighter on the engine. Moreover, with the A/C off, the auxiliary fan stays off, reducing the risk of getting floodwater splashed onto the engine compartment and on vital electrical components.”
From Pinoyautoblog.com: “Turn off your air conditioning–both the thermostat and the fan. In the event flood waters reach your aircon system while it’s running, it will be costly to clean and repair.”
Makes sense. Decreasing the number of moving parts you’ve got under the hood means a smaller chance of water splashing around your car’s insides. Put up with the humidity for a bit, it’s not worth trashing your car over.
Tip No. 4: Check your brakes first, it won’t take very long.
After driving through any flooded area, try to find a place to pull over and make sure everything’s in working order, especially your BRAKES. Just because you’re out of the water doesn’t mean that you’re automatically in the clear. Getting your brake pads wet affects its ability to slow your car down. Save yourself the trouble of your car breaking down later on (and the huge expense of a repair job) by spending a few minutes making sure they’re fully operational.
Try cruising at a slower speed (they say around 20kph is safe) and avoid any sudden braking until you’re confident that your brakes are dry and are working properly.
Tip No. 5: Keep an emergency list handy
Of course, if there’s anything we’ve learned about Philippine weather over the years, it’s that we can never really be fully prepared for it. Should anything happen, be sure to have a complete list of towing, repair, and emergency services at hand (The TrafficDito iPhone app has a complete list of such built right into it, by the way!)
Should your car stall while attempting to traverse flooded streets, DO NOT try to re-start it, that’ll only make things worse. It wouldn’t be the right time to play D-I-Y mechanic. Make the necessary calls to have it towed and have an expert give your car a full look-over.
Fingers crossed that we’ll be ready for whatever the rainy season’s got in store for us. With any luck, hopefully this list will be of help to you guys anyway! As always, the key is to make smart decisions on the road and not let frustration get to you.
And just as we’ve shared these with you guys, we hope you guys can help out as well! Be sure to report traffic and floods along Metro Manila thoroughfares using the TrafficDito iPhone app or via Twitter with the #TrafficDito hashtag. Of course, before heading out, checking out TrafficDito.com for any flood-related traffic reports won’t hurt either!
-EJ, Product Marketing Padawan
Lady Gaga and Metro Manila Traffic — A Bad Romance?
The city went Gaga over these past two nights with a legion of Little Monsters flocking to the SM Mall of Asia Arena as it hosted its first-ever major event, Lady Gaga’s two-night Born This Way Ball Concert Tour. Oddly enough, with a seating capacity of 20,000+, the question that came to mind wasn’t whether or not the show would be a success (as it apparently was!). Rather, it was if anyone could still hold a straight face (as in Poker Face?!) after getting stuck in EDSA’s rush hour traffic on their way there.
We had a look at the number of heavy traffic reports on TrafficDito.com these past 2 days and found this:
With the show scheduled to begin at 8pm, the upward spike in EDSA traffic reports between 6-8pm was expected. We compared the numbers to that of Monday-Tuesday last week and found a 56% increase in the number of heavy traffic reports along EDSA during the concert dates.
Luckily though, the hardworking people over at the MMDA were prepared. Rerouting schemes, parking advisories, and even their digital signage boards were prepped for the concert. @metromanilenyo tweeted out the picture below. I guess you could say that he’s a regular… Papa… Paparazzi!
Nice job, @MMDA!Informing and setting the expectations of drivers and stakeholders. twitter.com/metromanilenyo…
— Metro Manilenyo (@metromanilenyo) May 22, 2012
Despite the increase in vehicle traffic volume, it seems that everything worked out pretty well. There were of course, the usual whiners and haters out there but from what we heard, traffic and rerouting efforts went pretty smoothly. This was awesome for all the concert-goers of course. With traffic and parking out of the way, there wasn’t much more to worry about, meaning more time to just… Just Dance! I should stop.
Absolutely no traffic going to and from the Lady Gaga concert. Good job @MMDA @TheMallofAsia @moaarena! :)
— Isa Romualdez (@isa_romualdez) May 22, 2012
Looks like SM MOA Arena’s debut turned out to be an all-around success. This should pave the way for the venue’s future concerts (The Fray is scheduled to perform next, if we’re not mistaken!) and events. Do you think things would go as smoothly if the event were to be scheduled on a weekend?
Or here’s another (if not slight unrelated) question, what event do you think will be the first to fully pack the 20,000+ seat arena? We can only imagine the traffic/parking nightmare that’s going to be.
-EJ, Product Marketing Padawan
