Jeepneys are the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They are known for their crowded seating and kitsch decorations, which have become a ubiquitous symbol of Philippine culture and art. A Sarao jeepney was exhibited at the Philippine pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair as a national image for the Filipinos.
Jeepneys were originally made from U.S. military jeeps left over from World War II. The word jeepney is a portmanteau word – some sources consider it a combination of "jeep" and "jitney", while other sources say "jeep" and "knee", because the passengers sit in very close proximity to each other.
The brand name that has actually come to mean jeepney is Sarao, the company that first started making them in 1953 and became famous worldwide for doing so. Before the growth of backyard builders, Sarao Motors and Francisco Motors—both in Las Piñas—were the largest manufacturers of jeepneys. At its peak, the ratio of Sarao jeepneys rolling the streets of Manila outnumbered other names by nearly 7 to 1.