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

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.