Anti-U.S. protests reduce bus drivers' earnings

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Continuing demonstrations against the U.S.- led strikes on Afghanistan have affected the daily income of public transportation drivers here since early this week.

Bus drivers, particularly those serving the routes adjacent to areas which are the targets of demonstrations such as Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan where the U.S. Embassy is located, said on Wednesday they had experienced a 40 percent decline in their daily income.

A driver of a bus plying the Tanah Abang-Senen route, blamed the demonstrators for the loss he incurred.

"I usually get Rp 170,000 (US$17) per day but due to the ongoing protests, I cannot even get Rp 100,000," Abud, the driver, said.

"Who wants to listen to them? They should demonstrate for other more urgent issues," he said, adding that the demonstrations were pointless.

A public minivan driver also said that his income had dropped slightly, but he did not think that the demonstrations were to blame. "Demos? No problem. It has nothing to do with my income decreasing," said Toha, the driver, who noted that he usually earned Rp 150,000 a day.

Most taxi drivers, however, claimed to have experienced an increase in their daily income since Monday, when the demonstrations started.

Pasaribu, a taxi driver, said that since early this week his daily earnings had surged from the usual Rp 250,000 per day to about Rp 300,000 a day.

"I didn't expect to get more passengers. I thought people would be afraid to go out these days," he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

The 31-year-old man said that more people were seen waiting for taxis around Jl. M.H. Thamrin in Central Jakarta; a common site of demonstrations.

People apparently opted to travel by taxis rather than their own cars because they were afraid that demonstrators may vandalize their vehicles.

"Using taxis, their transportation costs will certainly be higher but that way they save their own cars from vandalism," he remarked.

At first, Pasaribu was also afraid of possible violence by the demonstrators. However, he found the demonstrators were not destructive toward motorists or passersby. "Therefore, I'm not afraid to pass through demonstrations," he said.

"Demonstrations are OK, as long as they do not damage public property," he said, adding that every citizen has the right to demonstrate.

A number of militant groups have been conducting anti-American demonstrations in front of the U.S. Embassy on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan and the British Embassy on Jl. M.H. Thamrin, both in Central Jakarta.