Bus Driver

In this programme in the series where British workers accept the challenge to do their jobs in some of the toughest conditions in the world, London bus driver Josh West heads to Manila, the capital of the Philippines and the most densely populated city on Earth.

Josh will be driving a Jeepney, a colorfully decorated, adapted jeep which has no power steering, dodgy lights and an uncomfortable seat. His host is Rogelio Castro and together they brave the chaos of the streets. It’s a hair-raising and often hilarious ride, but Josh also learns about the incredible over-crowding and devastating poverty of Manila.

He forms a strong bond with Rogelio and is moved by the daily struggle of an ordinary Filipino working to feed his family. It’s an emotional roller coaster and Josh returns a changed man, aware that all the separates his life from Rogelio’s is the country he happened to be born in.

Binman

London binman Wilbur Ramirez is heading to Jakarta, the vast mega city that is the capital of Indonesia. For ten days Wilbur works with Imam, one of the army of semi-destitute binmen who collect rubbish in one of the biggest and fastest growing cities in the world.

From the health and safety conscious world of British waste management, Wilbur enters a life of squalor and poverty – staying next to a fly-ridden dump and joining Imam’s back breaking daily round as he collects the rubbish of Jakarta’s wealthy. It’s a moving journey as Wilbur discovers the insecurity and danger that dominates Imam’s life, and his powerlessness to change his circumstances.