Drivers complain over drop in income<\/p>\n
Novan Iman Santosa
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
The holy fasting month of Ramadhan is into its second week and
\nthe majority of Jakartans have slowly slipped back into their
\ndaily routines. But for the city's public transportation drivers,
\nlife has become much harder.<\/p>\n
Interviewed separately on Wednesday, drivers of various modes
\nof public transportation told The Jakarta Post that they could
\nbarely make ends meet during the fasting month.<\/p>\n
Triyono, a driver of a mikrolet (public minivan), said he
\nusually brought home Rp 50,000 to Rp 70,000 (US$5.40 to $7.60) a
\nday before Ramadhan.<\/p>\n
\"Nowadays if I'm lucky, I can barely make the daily rental fee
\nof Rp 80,000 I pay to my juragan (master). After paying the rent
\nof the mikrolet, there is sometimes only Rp 10,000 to Rp 20,000
\nleft over for me,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Triyono, who plies the M-09 route between Tanah Abang in
\nCentral Jakarta and Kebayoran Lama in South Jakarta, said his
\ndaily net income fluctuated during the fasting month.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a bajaj (three-wheeled motorized vehicle) said his
\ndaily income had dropped by some 50 percent.<\/p>\n
\"I usually bring home some Rp 20,000 to Rp 30,000 a day after
\npaying for the use of the bajaj, which is Rp 30,000 per day,\"
\nsaid the driver, Anto.<\/p>\n
\"But now I am very lucky if I can bring home Rp 10,000.\"<\/p>\n
Haryanto, a Metromini (minibus) driver also said Ramadhan was
\na hard time for him to make money.<\/p>\n
\"Look around you. There are traffic jams everywhere but there
\nare no passengers.<\/p>\n
\"It was different before (the fasting month) when I could
\nstill have a lot of passengers despite the traffic jams.\"<\/p>\n
Hartono, who serves the P-75 route, which runs from the Blok M
\nbus terminal in South Jakarta to the South Jakarta area of
\nRagunan, said he had to pay Rp 350,000 a day for the use of a
\nminibus, which he was able to make after a full day of driving
\nthe bus.<\/p>\n
\"Before Ramadhan, I usually made Rp 80,000 above the rental
\nfee, and that was shared between me and the conductor.<\/p>\n
\"But it's getting more difficult to even make Rp 20,000
\nextra,\" he said, as he maneuvered the bus through the busy Blok M
\nterminal.<\/p>\n
The bus terminal was almost empty on Wednesday afternoon,
\ncompared to its usual packed and frenzied atmosphere on other
\ndays.<\/p>\n
Similar complaints were also echoed by taxi drivers.<\/p>\n
Eddy Wahyu, who drives a Kosti Jaya taxi, said he had picked
\nup only one passenger at about 9 a.m. even though he started work
\nearly in the morning.<\/p>\n
\"I have to work hard to reach my daily target of Rp 185,000,
\nwhich is what it costs to rent the taxi. Sometimes I have to
\ncheat to bring home some money,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Eddy, however, refused to explain how he cheated to get more
\nmoney.<\/p>\n
When asked what was the underlying factor for the decrease in
\ntheir daily incomes, all the drivers said that people tended to
\navoid making unnecessary trips during the day while it was
\nfasting month.<\/p>\n
\"I have more passengers later in the afternoon when office
\nemployees go home, but that's it.<\/p>\n
\"The situation slows down again some time after the breaking
\nof the fast at dusk, but then there are lots of passengers until
\nabout 9 p.m,.\" said Triyono.<\/p>\n
Hartono agreed with Triyono, saying that he only had a full
\nbus early in the morning and late in the afternoon.<\/p>\n
Triyono predicted that the slow conditions could continue well
\nafter Idul Fitri on Dec. 6 and 7.<\/p>\n
\"Usually things slow down even more during Idul Fitri as most
\nJakartans leave town to celebrate the holidays with their loved
\nones outside the capital,\" he said. \"It can take between two
\nweeks and a month before things get back to normal.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/drivers-complain-over-drop-in-income-1447893297",
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