Airport taxi drivers stop work temporarily

TANGERANG (JP): About 300 taxi drivers authorized to operate at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport went on strike yesterday after two fleet vehicles were badly damaged by a rival, unlicensed driver.

But the matter was resolved and drivers were back behind the wheel after a few hours thanks to the action of airport police, the military and security officers.

The head of airport security, Mubiyanto, also promised to take strong action against drivers of unlicensed taxis or vehicles without airport stickers. Such vehicles are not allowed to pick up passengers within the airport compound.

At least three authorized drivers suffered minor head wounds and other injuries after the troublemaker started throwing stones at them.

The official taxi drivers claimed that a group of unauthorized drivers became angry yesterday morning following a heated argument between Hutauruk, the driver of a President taxi, and another man.

Hutauruk, 45, said the argument concerned passengers at the airport's Terminal C.

The driver of a minibus, which did not have an airport sticker, was attempting to entice a passenger when Hutauruk offered his service.

The man became furious and smashed the taxi's windows with stones.

One of Hutauruk's colleagues from Gading Taxi, Hardi, tried to settle the dispute but the man damaged his taxi too before fleeing.

Hutauruk and Hardi gave chase but they had to turn back because dozens of the man's friends had gathered along the airport's boundary.

"Some of them threatened to damage any of the licensed taxis heading out of the airport," Hardi said.

The threats of intimidation prompted the 300 drivers to stop work until airport security personnel could guarantee their safety.

The drivers also demanded that the security officers crack down on hundreds of unlicensed taxis operating at the airport.

Authorized drivers said they deserved better treatment and protection because they had to pay annual taxes of Rp 150,000 (US$43,16), a further Rp 3,000 for a driver ID card and a Rp 1,200 parking fee every time they entered the airport.

"What role is the airport management playing," he said. "(The management) wants us to pay that amount of money but the number of taxis operating illegally continues to increase, making competition (for passengers) turn nasty," one of the drivers said. (41/04)