Ever wondered how long certain trips across Metro Manila would take if the megalopolis had the same public transport network or infrastructure efficiencies as Singapore, London or Tokyo? Well, now you can, thanks to a little app I created.

It’s called Compare Manila, and you can find it here: comparemanila.com.

To use it, simply enter your start and end points; pick a time and your method of transport; and then decide which cities to compare Metro Manila against. At the moment, I have added:

• Singapore
• London
• Paris
• Tokyo
• Seoul
• Hong Kong
• Munich
• Copenhagen
• Amsterdam
• Zurich
• Ho Chi Minh
• Kuala Lumpur

Hit the “Compare Cities” button, and the result will be listed from fastest to slowest travel time.

At the moment, the trips and the data used are simulated, as this is an awareness tool rather than an actual travel planner. The app applies research-based efficiency multipliers to each comparison city, and the multipliers are based on general transportation efficiency research—but results should be interpreted as illustrative comparisons, not exact predictions.

I tried to be fair in the way it compares Metro Manila to the rest of the world, but even in the fairest possible comparison, this metropolis still has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to getting around. While things are slowly improving, the pace of this progress and the obstacles such as the latest corruption scandal mean Metro Manila is lacking behind other cities when really it shouldn’t.

If someone is interested in expanding this tool and connecting it to real-life travel data sources, feel free to drop me a line. There are a lot of things we could add to make it more accurate, but what Metro Manila really needs is better infrastructure.

Equally, if anyone has any ideas for other mobility or travel projects, I’m always all ears. I already have some projects that I want to do (a guide for bicycle-friendly businesses, for example), but it’s always great to meet others and see how we can work together to make Metro Manila a better place to live in and move around.