Our story
About i-Jeepney
i-Jeepney started as a question in a philosophy classroom and ended up as a live map used by real commuters in Iligan City. This is how that happened.
From a thesis to a real app
In 2025, i-Jeepney was commissioned as a thesis project by the Department of Philosophy at Mindanao State University — Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT). Its full title — “Hulat ko diri, Manong Driver” (Cebuano for “Wait for me here, Manong Driver”) — captures the everyday moment the whole project is about: a commuter, standing on the road, hoping the next jeepney stops.
The research reads that moment through three thinkers in the philosophy of technology and communication — Jürgen Habermas's communicative action (how people reach mutual understanding), Don Ihde's postphenomenology (how a device reshapes what we perceive), and Bruno Latour's actor-network theory (drivers, commuters, jeepneys, and phones as one connected network) — to understand the coordination gap between jeepney drivers and commuters, grounded in a field study in Dalipuga, Iligan City.
Most theses stop at the paper. This one didn't. It was built into a fully working, free app that launched for public use in 2026 — real drivers, real routes, real passengers in Iligan City, tracking jeepneys as they move through the city right now.
The thesis received the Best Thesis award from the MSU-IIT Department of Philosophy.
The problem it solves
Philippine jeepneys have no fixed stops — passengers board and alight anywhere along the road. That flexibility is part of what makes jeepneys work, but it also means there has never been a simple way to know where one actually is until it's already in front of you. i-Jeepney puts that missing visibility on a live map: real GPS positions, real arrival estimates, for a mode of transport that was never designed around timetables.
Who's behind it
i-Jeepney is created and built by Brean Julius Carbonilla, with research support from the thesis team and the continued backing of MSU-IIT's Department of Philosophy.
See the full team and acknowledgementsWhat i-Jeepney is — and isn't
i-Jeepney is an independent technology platform, not a government agency or an official LTFRB service. We do not own, operate, or manage jeepneys or drivers — we only facilitate the sharing of live location and route information between independent jeepney operators and the public. Today the app is live in Iligan City, and it grows as more drivers and communities come on board.
Frequently asked questions
Who made i-Jeepney?
i-Jeepney was created by Brean Julius Carbonilla, commissioned as a thesis project by the Department of Philosophy at Mindanao State University — Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT). The thesis received the department's Best Thesis award, and the project was built beyond the paper into a real, publicly usable app for Iligan City commuters.
What is the i-Jeepney thesis about?
The thesis, titled “Hulat ko diri, Manong Driver,” develops the i-Jeepney GPS application through three thinkers in the philosophy of technology and communication — Jürgen Habermas (communicative action), Don Ihde (postphenomenology), and Bruno Latour (actor-network theory) — to understand and bridge the coordination gap between jeepney drivers and commuters, with a field study in Dalipuga, Iligan City.
Is i-Jeepney an official government app?
No. i-Jeepney is an independent technology platform, not affiliated with any government agency or the LTFRB. It does not own, operate, or manage jeepneys or drivers — it only facilitates the sharing of live location and route information between independent jeepney operators and the public.
Is i-Jeepney free?
Yes. Tracking jeepneys, viewing routes, and arrival estimates are completely free, with no account required.
Explore i-Jeepney
- Real-time jeepney tracker — see jeepneys on a live map and track them in real time.
- Jeepney routes in the Philippines — browse mapped routes city by city.
- Jeepney routes in Iligan City — the full route list for the city we're live in.
- Add a jeepney route for your city — help bring live tracking to more of the Philippines.
See it in action
Open the live map and watch real jeepneys move through Iligan City right now.
Open Live Map