Better taxi services sought<\/p>\n
In a metropolis like Jakarta, taxis are as important as other
\npublic transportation means. The number of cabbies has increased
\nin line with growing development. The taxi business is
\nflourishing, but demands for better services grow. The Jakarta
\nPost's reporters Stevie Emilia, Sugianto Tandra, Ridwan M.
\nSijabat, Meidyatama Suryodiningrat, Arief Suhardiman, T. Sima
\nGunawan and Benget Simbolon Tnb. observe the phenomenon in a
\nseries of articles on this page, page 9 and page 13.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Sandra was upset. The young professional had
\nbeen standing on Jl. Thamrin, Central Jakarta, for over an hour,
\nwaiting for a taxi home. It was 6 p.m. and the traffic was heavy.
\nMany cabs had passed, but none were empty.<\/p>\n
Another hour passed before a taxi finally stopped. She took a
\ndeep breath and, with relief, threw herself into the back.<\/p>\n
Sandra's experience is not uncommon. It is very hard to get a
\ntaxi during the morning and afternoon rush hours.<\/p>\n
But does that mean Jakarta is short of taxis?<\/p>\n
\"Not really,\" H.M. Djuhdi, head of the transportation division
\nof the City Land Transportation Control Agency, said.<\/p>\n
Since 1972, the city administration has issued licenses for 28
\ncompanies to operate 20,298 taxis. For the time being enough
\noperation licenses have been issued, he said. \"But we might need
\nmore taxis in the years to come.\"<\/p>\n
PT President Taxi is licensed to operate 6,759 taxis, PT Blue
\nBird to operate 1,550 taxis and Kosti Jaya, 1,250 taxis. Last
\nyear PT Citra Transpor Nusantara was issued a permit to operate
\n1,000 taxis.<\/p>\n
The fact remains that it is hard to find a taxi in rush hours,
\nbut at other times long queues of taxis wait for passengers
\noutside shopping malls, bus terminals, airports and hotels.<\/p>\n
In these \"low hours\", it is usually easy to hail a taxi on the
\ncity's main streets and people can be picky about the taxi
\ncompany.<\/p>\n
Usually, the first thing people look for is the cab's color,
\nwhether it is yellow, red and yellow, blue, green, pink or white,
\nand whether it is old or new. They also check which company the
\ntaxi comes from before getting in.<\/p>\n
People have reasons to be picky as there have been numerous
\ncomplaints of unscrupulous drivers.<\/p>\n
Drivers differ. Some are nice and polite, but others are rude,
\ndrive recklessly or take the longer routes for the extra fare.<\/p>\n
It is also no secret that there are delinquent drivers who
\ntamper with their meters, or refuse to use them. If passengers
\ninsist on using the meter, these drivers have been known to
\n\"dump\" them by the road side.<\/p>\n
Some of the worst places for this type of behavior are bus
\nterminals or railway stations where taxi drivers prey on the
\ngullible, usually people from out of town. Calo (middlemen) play
\na big role in pushing would-be victims into a taxi.<\/p>\n
The standard taxi flagfall is Rp 1,500 and with an additional
\nRp 550 for every kilometer.<\/p>\n
Punishment<\/p>\n
Oriyanto Sapardal, head of the traffic and transportation
\ncontrol subdivision of the City Land Transportation Control
\nAgency, said the government was determined to curb violations by
\ntaxi drivers.<\/p>\n
\"We can impound cars or even freeze operation licenses. If the
\ndrivers violate the rules three times, that's too much, we'd
\nrevoke their license,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Between Sept. 3 and Nov. 23 last year, the agency launched an
\noperation against unscrupulous taxis. As a result, it impounded
\n104 taxis from 22 companies for various violations, mostly not
\nusing or tampering with their meters. Forty-seven of them were
\nthe yellow-and-red PT President Taxi cabs.<\/p>\n
PT President Taxi's director of operations, Bambang Poernomo,
\nsays the company is working hard to improve its image.<\/p>\n
\"We tell the drivers to regularly check their vehicles,
\nincluding their meters, and to treat passengers as they would
\ntheir own family. We ask them to imagine how painful it would
\nfeel if their \"family\" was cheated with a dodgy meter or if they
\nwere dumped at the road side,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Despite their poor image, Bambang said he was not worried
\nabout competition from other taxi companies.<\/p>\n
\"It is not a problem. We always tell our drivers to look at
\nthe other taxis as partners in serving the public,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Good service is indeed an important aspect in the operation of
\na taxi as is the condition of the car itself.<\/p>\n
Mubha Kahar Muang, director of PT Citra Transpor Nusantara
\nwhich operates Citra taxis, stresses the importance of comfort
\nand safety in her taxi cabs. To her these two features are the
\nmost important assets in attracting passengers.<\/p>\n
Mubha, a member of the House of Representatives' budgetary
\ncommission, said when people hail a cab they want to be sure of a
\ncomfortable ride.<\/p>\n
\"Most of all they want to know they will be safe in that
\ntaxi,\" she remarked, adding that safety and comfort included the
\npassengers' confidence that they would not be cheated by the
\nmeter.<\/p>\n
A taxi driver usually works for 12 to 18 hours a day. Some
\nwork every other day and some have a day off every two working
\ndays. Most companies charge drivers a daily rent of between Rp
\n50,000 and Rp 100,000.<\/p>\n
Two taxi companies, Citra and Kosti Jaya, use the owner-
\noperator system. Under this system, the driver receives a loan
\nfrom the companies to buy the taxi. He or she pays Rp 62,500 a
\nday, which includes the maintenance costs. The debt is payable
\nwithin five years or less.<\/p>\n
\"If they maintain the vehicles well, they will be able to pay
\nthe debt in three and a half years,\" Mubha said.<\/p>\n
Mubha is a former director of Kosti Jaya, which first
\nimplemented the system four years ago. She is now also a
\nconsultant for the company.<\/p>\n
PT Blue Bird has another system. Purnomo Prawiro, the
\noperations manager, says the company applies a \"commission
\nscheme\" which ranges from 10 percent to 40 percent.<\/p>\n
A driver who earns Rp 50,000 or less gets a 10 percent
\ncommission, but those who get Rp 110,000 or more, will receive a
\n40 percent commission.<\/p>\n
PT President Taxi is unique because the cabs are owned by
\n3,000 people. Every month, the owner has to hand over a Rp 45,000
\n\"management fee\" to the company, according to Bambang.<\/p>\n
The taxi owners charge the driver between Rp 40,000 and Rp
\n60,000 a day to rent the cabs, he said.<\/p>\n
No matter what system is applied, it seems that operating
\ntaxis is a promising business, especially since the government
\ndoes not impose import duty on cabs -- which could double the
\ncost of the car.<\/p>\n
But owners should remember that drivers deserve a fair share
\nof the profits while passengers deserve good service -- two
\nimportant aspects not all taxi companies realize. (team)<\/p>",
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