Modest boat faithfully serves Jakarta<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
While the administration continues to dream about Jakartans
\ncommuting en masse on boats along the river, residents are
\nalready using one working river transportation system in the
\ncity, however modest.<\/p>\n
Along the Ciliwung River on the side of Jl. Gunung Sahari in
\nCentral Jakarta, boats regularly cross the water transporting
\nresidents who opt not to use the more-distant bridges that
\nconnect neighborhoods in Pasar Baru with shops on the other side.<\/p>\n
The modest boats do not charge their passengers much -- only
\nRp 500 about 6 US cents) for one trip -- and are available
\naround the clock, seven days a week.<\/p>\n
One of the boats crossing the five-meter gap, belongs to
\nTriyono, 23, and Adi, 19, brothers who live in Sunter, North
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
The brothers have operated the boat for the past three months,
\nreplacing their 63-year-old father who was on the job since 1972.
\nThey took over the business after they were both laid off from a
\nconstruction company.<\/p>\n
Built from a pieces of wood and painted in three colors: blue,
\nblack and yellow, the boat has a small shelter for its
\npassengers, who are on board for less than 10 seconds.<\/p>\n
A rope -- to help guide the brothers across the course -- is
\ntied at two platforms built on both river banks.<\/p>\n
\"Every day, we carry over 200 passengers,\" Adi told The
\nJakarta Post, while relaxing beneath the shelter.<\/p>\n
It was 2:30 p.m., after employees from the offices across the
\nriver had returned from their lunch break, leaving him with no
\npassengers to carry.<\/p>\n
\"I will take home about Rp 100,000 today,\" he said -- somewhat
\nfiguratively -- as both brothers took turns sleeping in the boat.<\/p>\n
Triyono said there used to be at least three crossing boats on
\nthe stream around the Gang Kelinci alley, a crowded neighborhood
\nof mostly ethnic Chinese shops, but now there was only one after
\nthe administration built two footbridges in the area.<\/p>\n
After the bridges, his father had to sell their nine other
\nboats, he said.<\/p>\n
Nasrun, 42, the oldest son in the family and business manager,
\nsaid they had made a contract with a trading company, whose
\nemployees paid with a voucher they could refund at any time.<\/p>\n
\"This kind of agreement has added a lot of income as almost
\nall its employees use our boats.\"<\/p>\n
\"We just hope that the city administration does not build
\nanother bridge here,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The city recently unveiled a plan to build its first river
\ntransportation system serving passengers along the West Flood
\nCanal from Manggarai in South Jakarta, to Karet in Central
\nJakarta, which experts have greeted with skepticism.<\/p>\n
They said the project was too costly for the cash-strapped
\ncity and said the officials appointed to the project had not
\nconsidered all the options.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/modest-boat-faithfully-serves-jakarta-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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