Cycle rickshaws still line up in the Malioboro area of Yogyakarta.\nYet, behind the bustling tourists coming and going, the rickshaw drivers\nno longer experience the golden days of decades past.<\/p>\n
One such driver is Ngapiyo (56), a resident of Pundong, Bantul, who\nhas been pedalling rickshaws in Malioboro since 1988. For nearly four\ndecades, he has relied on pulling rickshaws in the renowned tourist area\nof Yogyakarta City.<\/p>\n
Ngapiyo recalls when rickshaws were a favourite transport for\ntourists and locals alike. Back then, he says, rickshaw drivers earned\nsignificantly more than they do now.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been driving a rickshaw since 1988, over 30 years. Always in\nMalioboro. Back then, money was easier to come by, but now everything is\nmore expensive, making it hard to make ends meet,\u201d Ngapiyo told\ndetikJogja on Thursday, 28 May 2026, in Malioboro.<\/p>\n
He explains that during the 1980s and 1990s, fares were relatively\nlow but passenger numbers were much higher.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fare used to be 100 or 200 rupiah from KFC Malioboro to\nBeringharjo Market. Back then, I could get 10 trips a day \u2013 that was a\ngood income, miss. There were so many more passengers then,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Now, the situation has drastically changed. Ngapiyo says he sometimes\nonly gets two or three passengers a day, and often returns home with no\nearnings.<\/p>\n
\u201cCurrently, fares are around Rp20,000 to Rp30,000, mostly from\nMalioboro to Tugu Station. But I only manage two or three trips a day.\nSometimes I don\u2019t get any passengers at all \u2013 it happens often,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Despite the worsening conditions, Ngapiyo says he continues as a\nrickshaw driver because he has few other employment options.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else can I do? I have to keep driving the rickshaw,\u201d he said\nsoftly.<\/p>\n
Before returning to rickshaw driving full-time, Ngapiyo tried his\nhand at a log business about two years ago. However, the venture\nresulted in a significant loss of tens of millions of rupiah.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried a business two years ago, but went bankrupt, losing Rp70\nmillion. It was a log business. The longer it went on, the worse it got.\nIn Godean, where my business was, I usually collected payments three\ntimes a month. So I had to stop because finding customers was\ndifficult,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
While running the log business, Ngapiyo stopped driving rickshaws.\nBut after the business failed, he returned to Malioboro to pedal\nrickshaws to support his family. His bentor was sold to pay for his\nchild\u2019s school fees. Then bought this pedal rickshaw,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Now, Ngapiyo regularly stays in Malioboro from afternoon until night.\nHe typically starts driving at 5pm until around 11pm, hoping for\npassengers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI usually drive from 5pm to 11pm. Even during Car Free Night when\nvehicles are banned, it\u2019s the same \u2013 few customers, no difference,\u201d he\nconcluded.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ngapiyo-the-rickshaw-driver-few-fares-amid-malioboros-bustle-1780014047", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }