Driving In Philly...

[nigel]

Do you know I can't remember what I was going to say!?

Oh yeah, am I allowed to drive in Philly with a british passport? I assume I am, but hey, ho, there you go...

How is everyone anyway? Are we feeling good?

[A_flyer]

Oh yeah, am I allowed to drive in Philly with a british passport? I assume I am, but hey, ho, there you go...

You need an international driving licence (especially if you rent a car), passport is not enough.

If it's a private car, have a good insurance...

But driving there is a special experience... be ready!

[keithAngel]

I think you can drive on a UK license fo 90 days ?

http://www.lto.gov.ph/dls_faq.html

[KeithD]

You can fill a form in on the AA site

[nigel]

Thanks guys! Do you know I've always wanted to drive one of those Jeepneys...

[Sangoma]

I got an International Driving Permit from the AA it only too 3 days.

Driving in CdO is fine, but I'm told that other places are not so good.

I've only seen one mishap here, someone parked on the side of a bank and slipped into a field

The driving here is almost totally non-agressive, a white van drive wouldn't move more than a foot without pranging something. A 16 lane crossroads here with no control flows 100 times more smoothly than one in UK with hi-tech lights.

If you think of those sc-fi films where eveyone travels on pods that are all centrally controlled to merge flows and make maximum use of available space. It all happens at 20mph or less, but no computerised system would be able to improve the flow here.

So leave the agro behind, accept that when someone cuts in front of you that you let them in etc, make sure the hooter and indicators work, and you will be fine.

Oh, and they drive on the right hand side. Well sort of anyway, depends which side of the road is empty. And on a dual carriageway, you drive on the right of the centre, but on the left lane ot that, and overtake on the right (assuming that stopped cars/jeepneys/bicycles/motorelas/pedestrians/goats/dogs/ corn out to dry etc etc move when you blow the hooter) Usually anyway, unless it is hot and the right side is in the shade, then you drive there.

Don't worry about overtaking on a blind bend with double line, if someone comes the other way, they will pull of the road.


In fact, just forget the highway code or anything similar, there only seems to be one rule here that doesn't change, just don't hit anyone!
It works well.

[telford]

first my husband dont like to drive here in Philippines coz it's to different compare there in UK. The drivers here is so aggressive and shall I say no good road manners. Especially in my place that have lots of tricycle. And of course, the left hand drive cars. But I encourage him to do it and just go with the music,be as crazy as the tricycle drivers and be as reckless as they are. And now, I think when he go back to UK, he will be a bad driver and can commit lots of problems in the road But he said,he likes the way we drive here in Philippines coz you're free whatever you wanna do. BTW he have a Philippine drivers license now,with the help of my Muslim friend that's working in LTO (land transportation office) we only pay 2500 and he got it without taking exams and everything...I got mine too,even I dont know how to drive.... (walang ganyan sa States lol ......

[keithAngel]

he have a Philippine drivers license now,with the help of my Muslim friend that's working in LTO (land transportation office) we only pay 2500 and he got it without taking exams and everything...I got mine too,even I dont know how to drive.... (walang ganyan sa States lol ......

Thats a bit more than the 274 it should cost http://www.lto.gov.ph/dls_faq.html

as to you getting one to thats scary!!

[PeterB]

You can drive on your UK licence for up to 3 months after your arrival in Phils. If you hire a car, you will almost certainly be asked for an International Licence. This can be obtained, over the counter, at any main post office. You need your UK licence, a couple of passport sized photos, a completed application form, and the stipulated fee (less than £10?).

Driving here is different to anything you experience in UK. I suspect that there are too many drivers who have 'bought' their licence, in the way that Telford did! I would not recommend any Brit to drive here until they have had a fair bit of experience being driven by a local.

Having done that, and with a little bit of experience driving, actually passing the local test is not difficult - I did it without any preparation at all ... I wasn't expecting to be tested!

[keithAngel]

PeterB[/left];82504]You can drive on your UK licence for up to 3 months after your arrival in

Phils

. If you hire a car, you will almost certainly be asked for an International Licence. This can be obtained, over the counter, at any main post office. You need your UK licence, a couple of passport sized photos, a completed application form, and the stipulated fee (less than £10?).

Driving here is different to anything you experience in UK. I suspect that there are too many drivers who have 'bought' their licence, in the way that

Telford

did! I would not recommend any Brit to drive here until they have had a fair bit of experience being driven by a local.

Having done that, and with a little bit of experience driving, actually passing the local test is not difficult - I did it without any preparation at all ... I wasn't expecting to be tested!

Having driven in Thailand and Portugal the

Philippines

holds no worries the general principle is be prepared for everything and expect to be overtaken from every direction

Not hitting anyone and

conversely

being prepared to avoid others about to hit you is the first principle tinted windscreens are a good idea to as the local constabulary wont know there is a whitey to "fine" behind the wheel.

As to

preparation

Peter do you mean old car tires hung around the outside as fenders

lol

Did they offer you a job on the spot?

The layout of this post seems to be automatic????

[KeithD]

Philippines

conversely

preparation

lol

Someone has found the colour & font buttons

[A_flyer]

I prefer to hire a driver rather than driving in the Philipinnes, despite I'm not scared to do it.

The main advantages are:
- no need to try to find your way in areas you don't know, the driver knows or can find better than you (don't expect to find a complete and accurate map, nor a GPS...),
- I don't bother to park the car, the driver do it and take care of the car,
- I can ask him to get us where we want at the time we want,
- hiring is not so expensive,
- there are more risks (for the car) when Filipinos recognize a westerner driving (some want to have repairs for free...).

[keithAngel]

Someone has found the colour & font buttons

not witchcraft then .....how did i do it more to the point!!!

its stopped phew

[PeterB]

Admittedly, finding your way around is an interesting experience when, as a westerner, we expect to be able to buy detailed road maps or use GPS which will direct us to the door of the house.

However, there are reasonable maps of major cities - I have one for Davao. In general, finding your way to most places involves stopping to ask a local at every junction.

We have been doing okay, though - I've clocked up almost 20k kms in the last 8 months.

[telford]

Thats a bit more than the 274 it should cost http://www.lto.gov.ph/dls_faq.html

as to you getting one to thats scary!!

274 is when you do due process, which you spend days processing your documents and attending seminar and taking exam. I rather pay 2500 under the table than wasting my time. Atleast we just go there at LTO for picture taking and thats it,we can get out temporary drivers license then after 6 months we can already have our plastic license, without any hassles.

[KeithD]

I've clocked up almost 20k kms in the last 8 months.

...and 19 of them you clocked up trying to find the way out of your own plantation

[PeterB]

274 is when you do due process, which you spend days processing your documents and attending seminar and taking exam.

I completed everything in less than one day ... turned up at LTO at 11am. Came away at 5pm with my plastic license. I didn't bother with the seminar ... it was conducted in Visaya anyway. Just gave a urine specimen, paid the money, sat the test, took the practical, collected my license.

[A_flyer]

...and 19 of them you clocked up trying to find the way out of your own plantation

May be a watch with a compass may help...

[nomorericepleas]

You can drive on your UK licence for up to 3 months after your arrival in Phils. If you hire a car, you will almost certainly be asked for an International Licence. This can be obtained, over the counter, at any main post office. You need your UK licence, a couple of passport sized photos, a completed application form, and the stipulated fee (less than £10?).

Driving here is different to anything you experience in UK. I suspect that there are too many drivers who have 'bought' their licence, in the way that Telford did! I would not recommend any Brit to drive here until they have had a fair bit of experience being driven by a local.

Having done that, and with a little bit of experience driving, actually passing the local test is not difficult - I did it without any preparation at all ... I wasn't expecting to be tested!

Is that available over the counter at any philippine post office, or at a UK post office before we go there?? Also are the rules the same for motorbikes? Everyone seems to ride motorbikes there, but my license in the Uk doesnt cover me for riding motorbikes here, more than 50cc, but is it ok for me to ride a motorbike in PI on my UK drivers license. I asked about it over there, no-one seemed sure.

[PeterB]

You obtain the International Licence, based on your UK driving licence, from a UK Post Office.

The International Licence (well mine did) includes motorbikes, even if your UK licence doesn't.

[darren-b]

You obtain the International Licence, based on your UK driving licence, from a UK Post Office.

The International Licence (well mine did) includes motorbikes, even if your UK licence doesn't.

My wife's IDL which was issued last year hasn't got a stamp over the motorcycle category ( A ) on the photo page. There is only a stamp over the normal car category ( B ).

[A_flyer]

Don't forget the most important with the driving licence: have a good insurance! it's important if you drive yourself in the Philippines.

[andypaul]

Thats a bit more than the 274 it should cost http://www.lto.gov.ph/dls_faq.html

as to you getting one to thats scary!!

Keith nearly everyone my wife knows even if they have a few lessons pays a little extra to get the licence via the back door.

In fact i think you would be look at a bit funny if you did do it the normal way it appears

I think yves sums up my views.

Ensure you have a fat bank balance to pay any white man fines or fees etc you find coming your way

I remeber reading of a yank (on a us forum a few years back) who thought it would be a good idea to bike around his area untill he had some form of accident where a phill was injured and then all hell broke loose and his bank balance was far thiner.

[A_flyer]

I remeber reading of a yank (on a us forum a few years back) who thought it would be a good idea to bike around his area untill he had some form of accident where a phill was injured and then all hell broke loose and his bank balance was far thiner.

Yep! exactly the kind of thing I was thinking of... cars, bikes, motorbikes with a Westerner driver may be at risk! Filipinos always think of a Kano with rolls of 100$ notes in the pockets.

My last advice: do not look like (and act) as an American tourist...

[A_flyer]

Admittedly, finding your way around is an interesting experience when, as a westerner, we expect to be able to buy detailed road maps or use GPS which will direct us to the door of the house.

Here a Filipino project to have a GPS map. It's not an official one nor fully accurate (don't expect the same behaviour in our countries...), but it's a start. It works only on Garmin GPS (check models!).

it's here: http://www.freewebs.com/phroadguide/

[andypaul]

Luckily the Wifes road to and from Manila is on her nokia GPS map.

Not theres much to it as its the only road for miles on the map.

Like others have mentioned here in the west we take so much for granted.

[A_flyer]

Luckily the Wifes road to and from Manila is on her nokia GPS map.

Not theres much to it as its the only road for miles on the map.

Like others have mentioned here in the west we take so much for granted.

Only the SLEX and not even C5 on the Nokia? that's really poor...

Use last Nokia, the 888: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3dF44XtHek

[nomorericepleas]

My wife's IDL which was issued last year hasn't got a stamp over the motorcycle category ( A ) on the photo page. There is only a stamp over the normal car category ( B ).

don't worry, if a 500 peso bill falls out of your wallet, the traffic cop that stops her will see the stamp very clearly on her license

[nomorericepleas]

You obtain the International Licence, based on your UK driving licence, from a UK Post Office.

The International Licence (well mine did) includes motorbikes, even if your UK licence doesn't.

ok many thanks, i'll make sure to get one of those but i don't expect to be using a car, only motorbike, but i'll be less worried of check points in future.

[fred]

Yeheyy..Got my P.I licence for 350 Pesos!!
In Imus Cavite the buggers wanted P3,500!!!!
The woman in the LTO here however nearly refused me when they saw my old Brit license which says "British driving license" in 4 different languages..
She said that I would need to take it to my Embassy in Manila to have it translated..lol.
It took me 5 minutes to explain that our language there in England is .....English.
For one minute there I thought she was about to argue with me..
Perhaps she was getting confused with English and scouse..I dont know?
Apart from that it took about half a day to get it sorted..
So..I went out and bought a new bike with free registration etc...
After I paid, the woman told me that the registration takes 3 months to arrive and so I cant drive legally till then..
"BOll$$$^^%%##@!"..
They get me every time.