With public transportation curtailed last year, jeepney driver Rico Unop and his friends decided to do a career shift by creating custom desks and gaming tables which proved to be a great success.
UNLIKE their colleagues who resorted to begging in the streets after they were forced to stop plying their routes last year due to pandemic-induced lockdown, a group of jeepney drivers from Sampaloc, Manila have turned to creating custom-made tables and chairs to turn their fortunes around.
Jeepney driver Rico Unop and his friends went viral back in August 2020 for shifting to creating custom desks and gaming tables perfect for the new study/ work-from-home setup in the new normal.
The group rose to fame after gamer/streamer @itsjuanmig posted photos on Facebook of his girlfriend’s custom pink gaming table complete with a vinyl sticker of her name.
Today, the group continues to receive orders from gamers, mostly.
The drivers have since leveled up in skills with some of the new clients asking for drawers, corner desks, shelves, and even cable management trays.
Unop continues to accept custom orders through his Facebook profile where he also shares posts from satisfied clients and thanks their support.
“Salamat po mga bossingsa pagtitiwala at pagtangkilik ng aming lamesa..hanggang ngaun,” he writes. “Hayaan nyo pong pagbubutihin naming lalo ang aming trabaho para sa inyo.”
The customized tables start at P3,700 for tables with 60W x 120L x 75H cm specifications while shipping will depend on location.
Currently, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is pushing for traditional jeepney drivers to apply into the Service Contracting Program where they can earn P23.10 per kilometer from the government.
However, the agency has been under fire for delayed payouts.
According to LTFRB, P332.3 million has been disbursed to all drivers under the service contracting program including the initial P4,000 payout, weekly payout, and the one-time incentive.
Unop and his team, however, will continue their current project of creating custom tables over returning to the streets on their traditional jeepneys until it’s safe again for public transportation.
Tags: #publictransport, #furniture, #gamingtables