Transportation in the Philippines covers the transportation methods within the archipelagic nation of over 7,600 islands. From a previously underdeveloped state of transportation, the government of the Philippines has been improving transportation through various direct infrastructure projects, and these include an increase in air, sea, road, and rail transportation and transport hubs. However, relative to the size of population and level of income, public transportation remains underdeveloped in the Philippines.

Jeepneys are a popular and iconic public utility vehicle; they have become a symbol of the Philippine culture. Another popular mode of public transportation in the country is the motorized tricycles, especially common in smaller urban and rural areas. The Philippines has four railway lines: Manila Light Rail Transit System Line 1 (LRT Line 1), LRT Line 2, MRT Line 3, and the PNR Metro Commuter Line operated by the Philippine National Railways. There are also steam engines found in the Visayas, mostly Negros island, which operate sugar mills such as Central Azucarera. Taxis and buses are also important modes of public transport in urban areas.

The Philippines has 12 international airports and more than 20 major and minor domestic airports serving the country. Ninoy Aquino International Airport is the country's chief airport.

Road infrastructure Roads

As of October 2018, the Philippines has of roads. The road network consists of:

National roads – (2019) Provincial roads – (2018) City and municipal roads – (2018) Barangay roads – (2018)

In 1940, there were of road in the entire country, half of which was in central and southern Luzon. The roads served 50,000 vehicles.

Road classification is based primarily on administrative responsibilities (with the exception of barangays), i.e., which level of government built and funded the roads. Most of the barangay roads are unpaved village-access roads built in the past by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), but responsibility for maintaining these roads have been devolved to local government units (LGUs). Farm-to-market roads fall under this category, and a few are financed by the Department of Agrarian Reform and the Department of Agriculture.

Highways

Highways in the Philippines include national roads classified into three types: national primary, national secondary, and national tertiary roads.

The Pan-Philippine Highway is a network of roads, bridges, and ferry services that connect the islands of Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao, serving as the Philippines' principal transport backbone. The northern terminus of the highway is in Laoag, and the southern terminus is at Zamboanga City.

Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) is one of the most known highways in the Philippines. The avenue passes through 6 of the 17 settlements in Metro Manila, namely, the cities of Caloocan, Quezon City, Mandaluyong, San Juan, Makati and Pasay. EDSA is the longest highway in the metropolis and handles an average of 2.34 million vehicles. Commonwealth Avenue is also an important highway in the metropolis, it serves the Quezon City area and has a length of 12.4 km (7.7 mi). Other important thoroughfares in Metro Manila that are part of the Philippine highway network include España Boulevard, Quezon Avenue, Taft Avenue, and the Alabang–Zapote Road.

Outside Metro Manila, the MacArthur Highway links Metro Manila to the provinces in central and northern Luzon. It is a component of both N1 (from Caloocan to Guiguinto) and N2 (from Guiguinto northwards to Laoag) of the Philippine highway network and Radial Road 9 (R-9) of Metro Manila's arterial road network. Both Kennon Road and Aspiras–Palispis Highway are major roads leading to and from Baguio. Aguinaldo Highway, Jose P. Laurel Highway, Manila South Road, and Calamba–Pagsanjan Road (part of Manila East Road) are the major roads in the Calabarzon region. Andaya Highway (N68) links the province of Quezon to Bicol Region. Located in Cebu City is the Colon Street, considered the oldest thoroughfare in the country. Among the major highways in Mindanao are Sayre Highway, Butuan–Cagayan de Oro–Iligan Road, Surigao–Davao Coastal Road, Davao–Cotabato Road, and Maria Clara L. Lobregat Highway.

The Strong Republic Nautical Highway links many of the islands' road networks through a series of roll-on/roll-off ferries, some rather small covering short distances and some larger vessels that might travel several hours or more.

Expressways

The Philippines has numerous expressways and most of them are located in the main island of the country, Luzon. The first expressway systems in the country are the North Luzon Expressway formerly known as North Diversion Road and the South Luzon Expressway, formerly known as South Super Highway. Both were built in the 1970s, during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos.

The North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) is a 4 to 8-lane limited-access toll expressway that connects Metro Manila to the provinces of the Central Luzon region. The expressway begins in Quezon City at a cloverleaf interchange with EDSA. It then passes through various cities and municipalities in the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga. The expressway ends at Mabalacat and merges with the MacArthur Highway, which continues northward into the rest of Central and Northern Luzon.

The South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) is another important expressway in the country, it serves the southern part of Luzon. The expressway is a network of two expressways that connects Metro Manila to the provinces of Calabarzon in the southern part of Luzon. It starts at the Paco District of Manila then passes through Manila, Makati, Pasay, Parañaque, Taguig and Muntinlupa in Metro Manila; San Pedro, Biñan in Laguna; Carmona in Cavite, then transverses again to Biñan, Santa Rosa, Cabuyao and Calamba in the province of Laguna and ends in Santo Tomas, Batangas.

The Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway is another expressway that serves the region of Central Luzon, the expressway is linked to the North Luzon Expressway through the Mabalacat Interchange. Its southern terminus is at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales, it passes through the Clark Freeport Zone and its northern terminus is at Brgy. Amucao in Tarlac City. Construction on the expressway began in April 2005, and opened to the public three years later.

The Manila–Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX), a 14-km expressway that runs from Parañaque to Kawit, Cavite, also passes through Las Pinas and Bacoor.

The Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), a 41-kilometer expressway that runs through the province of Batangas, connecting Santo Tomas to Batangas City.

The Cavite–Laguna Expressway (CALAX) is an expressway that connects Cavite, Laguna and Metro Manila. , it connects Silang and Biñan, with construction ongoing for the remainder.

The Philippine government and other private sectors are building more plans and proposals to build new expressways through public–private partnership.

Road transportation As of May 2022, there are over 5.8 million registered motor vehicles in the country, with motorcycles and tricycles accounting for 60 percent of all registered motor vehicles, followed by utility vehicles at 18 percent, cars and SUVs at 16 percent, and trucks at 3 percent.

Automobiles

The Philippines' automobile industry started during the American colonial period from 1898 to 1946, with the introduction of American-made cars, which have been sold in the Philippines ever since. An import substitution policy was developed for the 1950s, which led to the prohibition of and then punishingly high tariffs on the import of fully built-up cars (CBUs) from 1951 until 1972. During the 1973 oil crisis, Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos advised Filipinos to buy smaller, more efficient vehicles with four-cylinder engines. In the early 1970s, the local Volkswagen assembler attempted to build a native national car, the "Volkswagen Sakbayan" (short for sasakyangkatutubongbayan), to avoid reliance on imported "completely-knocked-down" or "semi-knocked-down" parts, but this did not last long.Ofreneo, p. 1 In 1972, the government instituted the Progressive Car Manufacturing Program (PCMP), a system with scheduled increases in local parts content requirement which also allowed program participants to import a certain proportion of CBU vehicles. The original participants were General Motors, Ford, PAMCOR (a Chrysler/Mitsubishi joint venture), Delta Motors Corporation (Toyota), and Nissan Motor Philippines.

As of May 2022, cars (sedan, hatchback, pick-up trucks, "Asian Utility Vehicle" like the Toyota Innova) account for 9 percent of all registered motor vehicles in the country, while SUVs account for 7 percent of the total.

Bus

Buses, after ferries and airlines, are the next primary mode of long-distance transportation in the Philippines.

Public bus services in the Philippines are divided into two types: provincial buses and city buses. Provincial buses are used for medium to long-haul routes between cities and towns (including those involving ferries). City bus networks exist in the three metropolitan areas (Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, Metro Davao). Bus services are run by private companies, and routes, operations and fares are regulated by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

Bus rapid transit (BRT) systems exist in some regions. Extant BRT systems are the EDSA Carousel in Metro Manila and the Clark Loop in Clark Freeport Zone. A third BRT system is under construction in Cebu City. An integrated bus transit system will also be implemented in Davao City.

Motorcycles

Motorcycles are the most dominant form of private transportation in the country, accounting for 49 percent of all registered motor vehicles as of May 2022. A Social Weather Stations survey in 2021 also reveals that 36 percent of households nationwide reported owning a motorcycle, accounting for 50 percent of vehicle owners. They are commonly used for package and food delivery services to transport goods and are often regarded as a cheaper alternative to buying a private car. Motorcycles are also regarded for their size which allows them to easily split through lanes in heavily congested traffic corridors and be easily stored or parked. They have also been used for taxi services, commonly referred to as an angkas.

The use of motorcycles grew in popularity in the country started in the 1990s with motorcycle enthusiasts that went on leisure rides and delivery companies that sought a cheap, efficient way of moving goods around. Initially limited to American brands, the entry of Chinese, Japanese, and Taiwanese motorcycle brands disrupted the market throughout the early 2000s and sparked a growing interest in motorcycle ownership and usage. By 2005, the number of registered motorcycles surpassed that of cars.

Limousines

Limousines are used by the president and vice-president of the Philippines, as well as wedding services for wealthy families, hotel and resort shuttles, and airport transfers. Otherwise, they are seldom seen on Philippine roads due to considerations like cost and road traffic conditions but if used, they are utilized for bridal events or limo services. Limousines include the Chrysler 300C, Lincoln Town Car, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Audi A8, BMW 7 Series, S-Class, Lexus ES, and Lexus LS as well as SUV-based limousines such as the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Suburban, Ford Expedition, and Hummer H2.

Jeepneys

Jeepneys are the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They were originally made from US military jeeps left over from World War II and are known for their flamboyant decoration and crowded seating. They have become a ubiquitous symbol of Filipino culture.