Jamming with the all new Jam Liner Buses

New Year, new beginnings. Everyone's busy travelling to and from their respective destinations for work, play, or just because. While people work on building the best start of the year, others are busying themselves in improving the kind of transpo services that we get to make sure we get there quick, safe, and convenient.

Being regular commuters, we know how important it is for people to have access to affordable, safe, and leisurely commuting experience. With the fast paced life that has taken over everyone in recent years, sometimes the only rest we get is that bus ride we take on the way home, to work, or to wherever our schedule takes us. Sometimes that 1 hour nap or muscle rest you get can make a huge difference to the rest of your day. Because of this, commuters are now taking into consideration the key facilities of the transport services that they subscribe to. Jam Liner, seems to have picked up and responded to the challenge with a grand makeover, so we came over to check it out.

The Terminal

The Buendia terminal is strategically located right below the Gil Puyat station of the LRT. I think the location in itself is a real plus because you’d want everything to just be within reach.

The Terminal (click for larger photos)

We were greeted with an airport-like lobby where passengers waited for their trip. It’s a fully air-conditioned waiting lounge, complete with clean chairs, flat screen televisions, and a restroom. There’s even a convenience store where you can stock up on pika-pika and other necessities while on the trip. Just like an actual airport, the seats are arranged in front of certain “gates” corresponding to the different routes that the Buendia Terminal caters to: Calabarzon, Luena, Cabuyao, Balibago, Batangas, and Lemery. Really cool, they're probably one of the first bus companies to adopt this type of setup.

The terminal (click for larger photo)

AND excuse me, the whole terminal is powered with WI-FI. And the wi-fi ACTUALLY WORKS. Hahah. Sosyal mehn!

              

There are two guards in the entrance, and also a customer service area where one can inquire about the trip schedules and rates to their friendly staff. We were even told that their customer service ladies sometimes render dance numbers to entertain their passengers during peak hours - talk about value added service! We just hope that the new facilities could be adopted by all the other Jam terminals, as by now we’re seeing that it’s a hit among the passengers.

Customer comfort zone

Safety First

 
 

We checked out the back of the terminal and found the Jam Buses all lined up and ready for action.           

JAM in action

The Buses

There are basically two types of Jam Buses, you have the old model , with bus numbers starting with “9”, eg. 981,985, 948. The newest are what they call the 12-series. These are handsome buses that they fondly call the i-Bus, with maximum capacities of up to 14 tons and total passenger capacity of about 45 people, bus numbers 1235, 1225 and up, and are our newest favorites. 

First off, the brand spanking new logo: 

From a previous universe-inspired paint job, the new Jam logo has changed into a simple no-fuss design that definitely makes a statement. The horse head resembles that of a chess piece, and the bold JAM letters with red stripes gave the bus a lot of class, and is a sure head turner. We know that the logo does so much with branding, and so kudos to whoever came up with this. Super like!

Jam Liner has also adopted the use of an mPad. It’s a ticketing device that issues a receipt, instead of several pieces of paper for tickets. Aside from the destination and fare, the receipt also indicates the name of the driver and the conductor, origin and destination, indicates the actual time of ticket issuance, and also has the bus number. This is a security tool for passengers who may have concerns regarding the ride so they could report directly to the hotline, which is also reflected on the body and interiors of the bus. Hindi na uubra ang mga konduktor na topakin! Hehe.  The mPad is currently implemented on all buses of Jam.

Info hub. (Infairness my twitter pa haha)

Aside from a Twitter account, Jam has also opened a new Facebook account and is quite responsive to inquiries and suggestions. Jam seems to be taking the initiative for a more open and interactive approach with their passengers and it’s always a good thing.

The newly refurbished terminal, handsome logo and design of the bus are mere candy coatings; the real deal goes inside these new 12 series buses that really delighted us.

The driver’s throne has got almost everything he needs within reach, and also has a charging station for the mPad.

Now won’t you look at that beauty?

We love the interiors of the i-Bus give you a deluxe feel :) (click for larger photo)

A usual bus has a two seats on one side and a three seats on the other. The 12 series buses have two seaters on both sides to ensure comfort for all passengers. The aisle is also more spacious to keep you from stumbling on someone’s foot or bag as you walk along. There are four flat TV screens, two at the front and two for those at the farther end. These show movies and some product advertisements. There are also overhead cabins for additional baggage.

The seats are spaced far enough to give ample space for the knees, this is especially important for tall people (like my 5”11 Ray) heheh, and are also very comfortable. The clean white curtains make you feel like you’re in a hotel of sorts. It’s almost like a deluxe ride.

Of course, as is the trend, all Jam Buses now also have Wi-fi on board to make sure you’re connected even on the go, and to entertain passengers from the heavy metro traffic. These are powered by Sun Broadband.                           

 Now we know that wi-fi consumes a lot of power from our gadgets, so what’s the use of a wi-fi if you have a dead device? Here comes in the latest innovation from Jam – an OUTLET on each of the seats! Seriously! Now you can charge your mobile phones, your laptops, your tablets, and everything else! The moment I heard of it I was really excited and I think it’s a really really great idea. :D :D      

Wifi, outlet, TV screens, and GPS. All value added services! :)

The outlet is attached to a foldable white panel positioned just below the bus seat. It has two plugs and and can be folded inwards to hide when not in use. It is powered by the battery of the bus itself and can handle charging of laptops and electronic devices. Guys, I believe the list doesn’t include rice cookers and flat irons, so don’t even think of it alright? Lol lol!

The outlet: a first from JAM

 The feature is still in its infancy, so as of this writing only a handful of buses have this feature. But it will be fanned out to all other 12 series buses so that the passengers can enjoy the perks of not worrying of a battery drain while on the road. I mean seriously, it’s a very small addition to the bus but it can do wonders for everyday commuters like us. Kudos for this, Jam! 

 

We took a ride from Buendia to Balibago. The ride was generally smooth and fast, aside from occasional traffic we encountered at Magallanes. The audio volume of the movie was just right: loud enough to be heard but not too loud to overpower the ears. Video quality was also good.

But what impressed us most was the GPS feature. This is actually the main "intelligent" feature of the i-Bus. 

First off, its primary purpose is to ensure that the central control knows where all the buses are, and more importantly, what their current speed is. Yes, no more need to rely on faulty CCTV’s of the MMDA just to know if the bus is overspeeding. From the GPS system alone, the control already detects which bus units are overspeeding and are immediately apprehended. This says a lot about Jam’s effort to ensure a safe trip for all their buses. 

GPS system

Secondly, what’s fun about the GPS system is that every 10 minutes, it provides a quick information bulletin of where we currently are, which includes an overview map, and what are the nearest landmarks and establishments on the place. Now I think this is smart travelling! Jam covers a lot of long distance routes so I believe this feature will be very useful for travelers who might be getting lost, looking for a certain place, or just want to know where the nearest fastfood is. Very smart!

               

It really is an exciting time for Jam Liner, with all these innovations and new additions to their JAM-packed lineup of services. Who else to benefit these but us?

             

 So the next time you consider travelling, check out the Jam Liner roster of buses and services, just to see for yourself what we’ve been raving about. You can find their newly-redisgned webpage over at www.jam.com.ph, or www.facebook.com/jamliner for routes, travel schedules, inquiries, and more information.

              

Bon jour!