Waze has been one of the most useful utility tools Filipino drivers have been using for them to escape the traffic our country has to offer. It’s also waze who named the Philippines, Metro Manila, in particular, the city who has the worst traffic. With over 104.9 million people living in the archipelago where 47 percent of those do not have cars and 16 percent of those own more than two (2) cars, the congestion in the traffic is really something we should be expecting.
With the holiday seasons coming to its peak, people are going crazy over going out, buying gifts, and attending parties. More so, it is also the season where a lot of family gatherings and reunions, work place parties, and a lot more gatherings take place. On the down side of this all, this is also the season when the worst road congestions occur. To help with all of these, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) lifted the number coding scheme for private cars and provincial buses because of the long-drive travels of people to and fro Metro Manila.
However, that still is not enough for the traffic in major cities. Have you been traveling recently? Were you able to see how the congestion is? If not, then you will definitely benefit from the analysis that Waze released. This talked about the best times to travel and drive this holiday season.
To contrast that, Waze also gave the worst times to travel. So, refer to the list below in order for you to know when the best times are to travel during the holidays.
December 24th, 2018:
- Best time to drive and travel:
- (Metro Manila) After 5:00 P.M.
- (Davao City) After 11:00 A.M.
- (NAGA) After 12:00 P.M.
- (Angeles City) After 12:00 P.M.
- (Batangas City) 11:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.
- Worst time to drive and travel:
- (Metro Manila) 2:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M.
- (Davao City) 2:00 A.M. to 3:00 A.M.
- (NAGA) 7:00 A.M. to 8:00 A.M.
- (Angeles City) 3:00 A.M. to 4:00 A.M. and 7:00 A.M. to 8:00 A.M.
- (Batangas City) 11:00 P.M. to 12:00 A.M.
December 25th, 2018:
- Best time to drive and travel:
- (Metro Manila) After 4:00 P.M.
- (Davao City) After 5:00 P.M.
- (NAGA) After 1:00 P.M.
- (Angeles City) After 3:00 P.M.
- (Batangas City) 8:00 A.M. to 9:00 A.M.
- Worst time to drive and travel:
- (Metro Manila) 4:00 A.M. to 5:00 A.M. and 10:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M.
- (Davao City) 5:00 A.M. to 6:00 A.M.; 8:00 A.M. to 9:00 A.M. and 1:00 P.M. to 2:00 P.M.
- (NAGA) 11:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.
- (Angeles City) 4:00 A.M. to 5:00 A.M. and 11 A.M. to 12 P.M.
- (Batangas City) 2:00 A.M. to 3:00 A.M. and 7:00 A.M. to 8 A.M.
December 31st, 2018:
- Best time to drive and travel:
- (Metro Manila) After 12:00 P.M.
- (Davao City) After 12:00 P.M.
- (NAGA) After 9:00 A.M.
- (Angeles City) After 2:00 P.M.
- (Batangas City) After 7:00 A.M.
- Worst time to drive and travel:
- (Metro Manila) 5:00 A.M. to 7:00 A.M.
- (Davao City) 12:00 A.M. to 1:00 A.M.
- (NAGA) 6:00 A.M. to 7:00 A.M.
- (Angeles City) 2:00 A.M. to 3:00 A.M.
- (Batangas City) 5:00 A.M. to 6:00 A.M.
January 1st, 2019:
- Best time to drive and travel:
- (Metro Manila) After 3:00 P.M.
- (Davao City) After 1:00 P.M.
- (NAGA) After 11:00 A.M.
- (Angeles City) After 4:00 P.M.
- (Batangas City) After 1:00 P.M.
- Worst time to drive and travel:
- (Metro Manila) 3:00 A.M. to 6:00 A.M. and 9:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M.
- (Davao City) 8:00 A.M. to 9:00 A.M.
- (NAGA) 5:00 A.M. to 6:00 A.M.
- (Angeles City) 1:00 A.M. to 2:00 A.M. and 4:00 A.M. to 5:00 A.M.
- (Batangas City) 5:00 A.M. to 6:00 A.M.
So, on the 24th of December, you can see that the best time to drive and travel is after 5:00 P.M. and the worst is from 2 A.M. to 11 A.M. So, because of the tradition, most people will be staying inside their houses to celebrate Noche Buena with their families. However, do not attempt to travel during the worst times because people might be doing Christmas shopping cramming and avoid getting stuck in traffic.
Read: Want a Faster Travel From Baguio to La Union?
Other than this, Waze gave notice to Angeles City, Batangas, Davao City, and Naga and gave the best and worst times to travel. So, if you’re going on a vacation to any of these cities, use this as your main guide for the traffic.
Other than the Christmas traffic, the New Year countdown is also coming. So, Waze was able to anticipate the best and worst times to drive this holiday as well. In the Metro, the best time to travel on the 31st of December is after 12:00 noon and the worst times on that exact date would be on 5:00 A.M. to 7:00 A.M. On New Year, the 1st of January 2019 itself, the best time to drive and travel would be after 3:00 P.M. and the worst would be from 3:00 A.M. to 6:00 A.M. and 9:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M.
Would these information be useful and relevant?
If you and your family would be traveling, then you should anticipate traffic during the Eves and a clean, smooth road during the date of the holiday itself.
More so, one thing you can consider is to avoid cramming during these times. Try to purchase things a day or two prior and this Christmas, give yourself less stress and hassle as much as possible.
This just shows how important Waze is in the lives of people especially to those who drive. The GPS-based app just wants its users to achieve their best travel setup by using the application.
How do you use Waze?
For people who are not aware how to utilize Waze, you just have to input the location from where you are going to the location you want to arrive at.
Waze, using satellites and GPS, will calculate the best route you can use in order to arrive in your destination faster, better, easier, and more efficient.
Read: Better and Faster Way of Going From Antipolo to the Airport?
Last year’s data, Waze saw a 10 percent increase in their active users during December. However, a total of 12 percent more drivers used waze this year, following the hike of the volume of the vehicles who travel the road often and regularly.