Multicab
A multicab is a type of minibus that is used in the Philippines to transport people. Multicabs usually operate on fixed routes, as do the jeepneys known for the Philippines, but can also be rented for individual trips with a driver. Companies and authorities also sometimes use multicabs to transport employees. In such cases, the marking “not for hire” is usually found on the vehicle to distinguish these private multicabs from those used in public passenger transport. The capacity of a multicab is 10 to 14 people, depending on the type and size. The passengers sit on benches attached lengthways to the direction of travel on the covered platform of the vehicle, one or two other people can be seated in the driver's cab next to the driver.
The first Multicabs were built in 1992 by the Cebu- based company Porta Coeli Industrial Company , PCIC for short, which belongs to the Norkis Group. Founded in 1987, PCIC has developed this type of vehicle in the early 1990s ,, where Multicab as an abbreviation for Multi Purpose Cab stands to German as multi-purpose taxi . According to Norberto Quisumbing Jr., chairman of the Norkis Group, the multicab was born from an idea to upgrade the tricycles that are often used in local passenger transport in the Philippines . Initially, multicabs were only made from imported vehicle parts from Japan and South Korea . Mainly used but completely overhauled three-cylinder engines with 550 cm³ and 660 cm³ displacement from Suzuki and Daihatsu provide the drive . The name Multicab was later also established for mini pickups imported from Japan. Popular models today are, for example, the Suzuki XRM 125 and Suzuki LMM 376. PCIC / Norkis is still the leading manufacturer of multicabs in the Philippines. PCIC vehicles have been manufactured on a two-hectare site in Mandaue City since the beginning and, since 2002, in a second, larger plant in the Cogon district of Compostela .
At first mainly in the Visayas and then also in Mindanao , multicabs can now be found all over the Philippines. Small and agile, but also quiet and more environmentally friendly, the multicabs are increasingly replacing traditional jeepneys , especially in the urban areas of the big cities of Manila , Cebu City and Davao City . In contrast to the jeepneys, which are usually individually made by hand, multicabs mainly come from industrial series production.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Silent Gardens: Multicab - how to , accessed on September 22, 2017
- ↑ a b c newsflash.org: Small vehicle with a great future , accessed on September 24, 2017
- ↑ a b Philstar.com: Norkis is working on establishing the Multicab in Luzon as well , accessed on September 22, 2017
- ↑ GMA network: Multicab dubbed 'poor man's taxi' launched , accessed on September 23, 2017
- ↑ everythingcebu.com: multicabs in Cebu (engl.), Accessed on September 23, 2017
- ↑ Facebook page of the manufacturer Norkis: About Norkis Multicab Cebu , accessed on September 24, 2017
- ↑ cebu.mynimo.com: PCIC job advertisement with details of key company data , accessed on September 24, 2017