Up and Down the Hill: The Atenean Commute

Article by Fe Esperanza Trampe

Before we can go down the hill, we have to get there first! The traffic in Katipunan – and Metro Manila! – does not make it easy, but here are the many ways we can go around the hustle and bustle of traffic, and get to class on time.

3. LRT 2

The fastest and most effective form of transportation in a busy city like Metro Manila will have to be the trains. They skip traffic by flying above and under normally congested thoroughfares, and saving thousands of passengers so much of their time on a daily basis.

Thankfully, for Ateneans from the South – and East and West! – of Quezon City, there is the LRT 2. It traces the stretch of Aurora Blvd. and beyond – from Recto Station in the heart of Manila all the way to Santolan Station in Marikina. Alight at Katipunan Station, and you’ll be a stone’s throw away from the Ateneo de Manila campus.

2. Tricycles

Many Atenean riders of the LRT opt to head straight for the tricycle terminal at Xavierville Avenue upon stepping into Katipunan. If you need to get somewhere quick and in your own time, the tricycle is definitely for you.

There are many tricycle terminals outside of Ateneo, and several inside of it, as well. They can traverse through the busy Katipunan Avenue, and make their way around the streets of Loyola Heights. Just keep in mind that not all tricycles are authorized to enter the campus. There are restrictions as to where a certain tricycle color can go, and how many people can fit inside one.

1. Jeepneys

The campus of the Loyola Schools sits prettily along the stretch of Katipunan Avenue. The jeepneys that service this road have two routes, both of which make their final stop at the terminal underneath the Katipunan Extension Flyover.

Northerners can hail these jeepneys from any point within the U.P. Campus, or at the jeepney terminal in Balara, and get dropped off at any of the Ateneo’s three gates along Katipunan. Commuters coming from Aurora Blvd. can do the same from the terminal underneath the flyover.

Those from farther up North can opt to take the hassle-free and eco-friendly COMET service from SM North EDSA. The electronic jeepney offers regular non-stop rides from this central point up North, straight to the SM Blue Residences right beside Ateneo.

The Loyola Schools campus alone is already so big. The entire Ateneo de Manila University, even more so. Thank goodness for the free electronic jeepneys that tirelessly circle the campus in its entirety. A trip from the grade school campus to the high school campus no longer has to be a gruelingly long walk. The e-jeeps go as far as the Loyola House of Studies on the edge of the campus where a special entrance from Marikina serves faculty, students, and staff alike.

There’s no need to sit through the traffic of Katipunan Avenue day in and day out just to get to school. There are so many ways for the Atenean to go up the hill.