Irineo Odoy, known as the pioneer of UP Diliman’s (UPD) iconic Ikot jeepney route, passed away at 5 p.m. of April 12. He was 99.

According to his grandson, Gerardo Lopez, Odoy succumbed to pneumonia.

Fondly known to his family as “Lolo Neong,” Odoy was a bus driver before moving to UPD in 1949. He started the Ikot route using a large jeepney he called “Dagul.”

In a 2018 video interview by Lopez, Odoy said he had the idea of starting a paid shuttle service in 1949 after seeing students having to walk long distances in between colleges just to make it to class. He called it “Ikot.”

At first, fellow jeepney drivers laughed at Odoy because he was only charging five centavos as fare. However, his earnings amounted to around P100, a large amount during the time.

“Hindi alam ng mga kasamahan ko na kumikita ako. Pinagtatawanan ako. Bandang huli noong nakita, noong magbilangan kami ng kita, eh naglakihan ang mga mata. Kumita ako ng P100 eh,” he said.

Odoy continued plying the route for the next nine years until 1958, by which time several other drivers also began to ply the route.

“We admired how he hatched the idea out of compassion for the students who’d walk long distances in between colleges just to attend class. So he wanted to give them an easier time to get to class,” Lopez said.

Aside from being a good provider, he was a dedicated and hardworking patriarch who instilled good values, according to his family.

“We remember him to be very appreciative of even the smallest things, telling stories of his experiences with gusto to anyone who’d sit and listen,” Lopez said. He leaves behind nine of his 10 children and their families. His wife Marquita V. Odoy passed on well over a decade ago.