Jakarta to soon bid adieu to noisy 'bajaj'<\/p>\n
After transporting Jakartans for nearly three decades, bajaj
\n(three-wheeled motorized vehicles) will begin disappearing from
\nthe city's streets in the next few days. The city administration
\nwill phase out the Indian-made bajaj in favor of locally made
\nkancil (four-wheeled motorized vehicles). The Jakarta Post's Urip
\nHudiono and Evi Mariani have taken a look back at the history of
\nthe bajaj and the role these vehicles played in the development
\nof Jakarta. This is the first of six articles.<\/p>\n
The capital city has long been associated with several things:
\nthe National Monument (Monas), the Semanggi cloverleaf, the line
\nof skyscrapers along Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Thamrin, and its icon,
\nif you like, the distinctive, orange, three-wheeled bajaj.<\/p>\n
Like the tuk-tuk in Bangkok, since its introduction in 1975,
\nthe Indian-made bajaj has been a familiar sight on the city
\nstreets. Indeed, it has captured the hearts of many, who have
\ngrown used to the rattling sound, the bumpy ride and the often
\nslow-to-start vehicles.<\/p>\n
At present, a sitcom which is aired daily by a private TV
\nstation that relates the simple life of a poor bajaj driver in
\nthe metropolis, enjoys very high ratings.<\/p>\n
Bajaj were introduced to gradually replace becak (pedicabs) as
\nas an alternative means of transport in the city, besides buses
\nand taxis. Becak were banned altogether in the 1980s, although
\nsome still operate in parts of the city.<\/p>\n
However, what goes around comes around. After almost 30 years
\nof operation here, bajaj -- the Jakarta administration has
\nconfirmed -- are to be replaced with kancil, a four-wheeled
\nvehicle that is manufactured by local automotive company PT
\nKurnia Abadi Niaga Citra Indah Lestari.<\/p>\n
While the plan has been in the works since 1982, and the
\nadministration stopped issuing new permits for bajaj in 1986, it
\ncontinued to allow their operation, without preparing a suitable
\nreplacement vehicle. That is, until 2001, when it finally decided
\nupon the kancil.<\/p>\n
In a letter signed by Deputy Governor Fauzi Bowo on May 24,
\nthe administration approved the initial operation of 250 kancil
\nstarting in July at the earliest, followed by the withdrawal of
\n250 of the older bajaj.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Transportation Agency head Rustam Effendi, meanwhile,
\nconfirmed that his office had already issued 50 operating permits
\nfor the kancil.<\/p>\n
The administration has said that the bajaj are no longer
\nroadworthy. While their noisy, smoke-emitting, two-stroke engines
\nare said to worsen the city's pollution, their number and
\nreckless drivers are accused of worsening traffic congestion.<\/p>\n
However, with around 14,000 bajaj currently operating in the
\ncity, replacing them could prove difficult. Each bajaj provides
\nwork for at least two drivers, and many of them are worried that
\nthe change will leave them jobless.<\/p>\n
Last year, when the administration first said that it would
\nstart replacing bajaj with kancil, bajaj owners and drivers
\nstaged numerous protests. In June, upon hearing that the kancil
\nwould start operating this July, thousands of bajaj owners and
\ndrivers again rallied outside City Hall.<\/p>\n
Bajaj owners and drivers rejected the kancil, arguing that the
\nchangeover would reduce their incomes, as they would not be able
\nto compete with the new vehicles, nor afford to purchase kancil
\nthemselves.<\/p>\n
Many bajaj drivers told The Jakarta Post that they could not
\naccept the notion that bajaj were the main cause of the city's
\nworsening pollution. They said that many other vehicles emitted
\nthick, black, exhaust fumes, yet the administrations did nothing
\nto ban them from the streets.<\/p>\n
The drivers also objected to being called reckless. Several of
\nthe drivers, who were driving bajaj in the 1980s, said at that
\ntime, the Jakarta Police traffic division had taught them how to
\ndrive and strictly obey traffic regulations -- but the training
\nwas eventually discontinued.<\/p>\n
In fact, India has produced a new model of the bajaj, which is
\napparently environmentally friendly, but the newly passed bylaw
\non transportation prohibits the use of three-wheeled vehicles for
\npublic transportation in the city.<\/p>\n
So far, the policy has not been enforced as the administration
\nis still arranging operational permits for kancil.<\/p>",
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