CHAPTER 185: ADOPT OUR BUSES PLEASE

September 20, 2029

Quezon City Hall – Executive Wing

2:15 PM

Timothy didn’t bother bringing an entourage. No photographers, no PR staff, no media handlers. Just him, a slim folder under his arm, and Hana carrying a tablet loaded with route simulations. The hallway leading to the Mayor’s boardroom was newly renovated—clean flooring, bright lights, city employees moving fast but organized.

The secretary outside the boardroom stood as soon as she recognized him.

"Sir Guerrero, the mayor is ready for you."

"Thank you," Timothy said.

Inside, the room was mid-sized. Long rectangular table, ten chairs, and a wall-mounted monitor already displaying Quezon City’s transport map. Mayor Felicidad Ramos stood at the head of the table with two of her department heads—Transportation and Budget—and nodded as Timothy entered.

"Mr. Guerrero," Mayor Ramos said, offering a handshake. "Thank you for coming on short notice."

"It’s important," Timothy replied. "And it needs to start with you."

They sat. Hana placed the tablet on the table but didn’t touch it yet. She let Timothy lead.

The mayor clasped her hands.

"You mentioned a transport proposal in your message. Not private-sector dependent, you said. Something that can shift commuter flow?"

"That’s the goal," Timothy said. "Electric buses."

The Transportation head raised an eyebrow. "We already have e-jeepney pilots. The adoption rate—"

"This isn’t jeepney replacement," Timothy cut in. "This is mass movement. City-scale. Structured routes. A backbone, not fragments."

Hana tapped the tablet, bringing up the first slide. It showed a simple outline: an electric bus silhouette and the words Clean, Quiet, Scalable.

Timothy continued.

"TG Motors has developed a bus platform built on the LithiumX system. Full electric, low maintenance, optimized for Manila traffic. What I want is a partnership with major NCR cities—starting with Quezon City—to deploy pilot routes."

The Budget officer leaned forward. "Cost?"

"No procurement," Timothy said. "Not yet. TG Motors will shoulder the manufacturing for the pilot units."

The mayor blinked. "You’re offering buses for free?"

"Pilot use," Timothy clarified. "Not ownership. The city integrates them into its routes. We gather performance data. If it works—you can negotiate long-term contracts later. If not, we pull them out. Zero cost."

That silenced the table for a moment.

Timothy continued, voice steady.

"Your current bus network relies heavily on diesel fleets and private operators. They clog main arteries, produce noise, increase heat, and cost more per kilometer over the long term. EV buses change that."

Hana swiped to the next slide—simulated QC routes.

"Here," she said, pointing. "We modeled three priority corridors: Commonwealth, East Avenue, and Katipunan. Introducing EV buses here reduces average waiting time by 18 to 23 percent."

She tapped again.

"Projected emissions reduction: 1.2 tons of CO₂ per day—per route."

The Transportation head nodded slowly but looked skeptical.

"Charging infrastructure is the bottleneck," he said. "Where would these buses dock? How fast is turnaround time?"

"TG will install temporary charging stations at selected depots," Timothy replied. "Fast charge capability means a 45-minute top-up. Overnight charging covers the rest."

"And drivers?" the mayor asked. "Electric vehicles require different training."

"TG Motors provides training," Timothy said. "Certified instructors. No cost to the city."

The Budget officer leaned back, arms crossed. "This sounds generous. Too generous. What’s the catch?"

"No catch," Timothy said. "But there is a condition."

The mayor raised her brows. "Which is?"

"You must integrate these buses into official city transport lines. Not as a novelty. Not as a PR stunt. They must carry real passengers on real routes."

The mayor nodded. That was reasonable.

"And," Timothy added, "I need access to city traffic data. Historical, real-time if possible."

"That’s confidential," the Budget officer said.

"It stays confidential," Timothy replied. "We won’t publish it. We need it to build accurate route models. Without data, the buses are just guesses."

The mayor exhaled, thinking.

"This will draw attention," she said. "Media, transport groups, political opposition. Some will say you’re privatizing city transport."

"I’m not," Timothy said. "I’m modernizing it. You still control routes, fares, integration. TG Motors supplies the hardware and optimization. The city runs the show."

The mayor looked at him closely.

"You really believe this will work?"

"Yes."

"What makes you so sure?"

Timothy glanced at the transport map on the screen—lines, intersections, error points, congestion nodes.

"Because Metro Manila doesn’t have a transport system," he said plainly. "It has a collection of guesses. This—" he tapped the table—"is structure. Predictable. Clean. Scalable. For the first time, the public gets movement that isn’t chaos-dependent."

Silence.

Then the mayor smiled faintly.

"All right. Quezon City is in."

The Transportation head nodded. The Budget officer sighed but accepted it.

"We’ll draft an MOU," the mayor said. "Pilot of five buses, no procurement, integrated routes. Data sharing with safeguards. Training under TG Motors."

Timothy nodded. "Good. I want to roll out within two months."

"That’s fast," the Budget officer muttered.

"That’s necessary," Timothy said.

3:10 PM – Mandaluyong City Hall

The next meeting was shorter.

Mandaluyong’s city administrator listened quietly, reviewed the same slides, and asked only three questions: safety compliance, charging logistics, and route coverage.

By the end, he shook Timothy’s hand.

"You’ll help us ease EDSA traffic," he said. "Count us in."

4:25 PM – Pasig City Government Center

Pasig’s mayor was more analytical.

"How do we guarantee reliability?" she asked.

"Our simulations match local drag coefficients, humidity, and heat load. These buses were designed for Manila, not imported climates," Hana answered.

The mayor nodded.

"And labor groups?" she asked.

"Drivers stay," Timothy said. "This phase isn’t autonomous. It’s electric."

The mayor smiled slightly. "Good. Then prepare the documents. Pasig joins."

5:40 PM – Makati City Hall

This meeting was the toughest.

Makati’s transport chief was direct.

"Why you?" he asked. "Why not Hyundai’s electric bus? Why not BYD? They already have prototypes."

Timothy didn’t waste time.

"Because they’re generic," he said. "Built for highways, not Manila. Built for foreign climates. Built for ideal roads. None of which exist here."

He brought up the maintenance chart.

"This bus is designed for potholes, heat, humidity, sudden stops, unpredictable loading patterns. It’s built for us."

After ten more minutes, Makati agreed—cautiously, but firmly.

7:05 PM – Back at TG Tower

Timothy sat in his office, finally alone. The city skyline outside was entering early evening, with lights gradually turning on across BGC.

Hana placed a folder on his desk.

"Four cities onboard," she said. "That’s already larger than expected."

"Good," Timothy replied. "But we’ll need Manila and Caloocan next. They control too much commuter flow."

"And the LTFRB?" she asked.

"I’ll talk to them next week," he said. "If these buses are going to run smoothly, we need national support, not just city-level agreements."

Hana nodded and took a seat across from him.

"Tim," she said. "This is going to change NCR."

"That’s the point," he said quietly.

He looked out the window—streets congested, lights flickering, the same rhythm that never really changed.

"By next year," he said, "people won’t even remember the old system."

Hana smiled faintly.

"They’ll remember when the commute became tolerable."

Timothy leaned back in his chair.

"That’s enough," he said.