'Better to take a bus or train than taxi'

he Jakarta administration has allowed taxi operators to raise their fares by as high as 38 percent for the meter waiting fee, despite the fact that their services are often unsatisfactory. The Jakarta Post asked residents about their comments on the increase, which comes more than a month after the fuel price hike.

Saiful Bahri Siregar, 35, is a prosecutor at the Central Jakarta Prosecutor's Office. He lives with his family in Central Jakarta:

I'm not a regular taxi user. I only use a taxi when I need to rush to the court or avoid getting wet in the rain.

I don't think it's the right time to raise taxi fares as people have not fully adapted to the new fuel prices. So, I don't think it's a wise decision, considering that a lot of people, including myself, have yet to see any raise in our salaries.

The decision will probably backfire on the taxi operators since more people will prefer to take ojek (motorcycle taxis).

Even worse, it may make people think that it's better to own their own cars rather than spend tens of thousands of rupiah on taxis every day. This would certainly worsen the traffic congestion, and in the end no one would profit from it.

Muhammad Toha, 66, is a janitor at the Central Jakarta District Court. He lives with his wife in Cisadane, Tangerang:

Actually I prefer to use a train rather than taxis. Last year, I had to take taxi from the court to go home, which cost me Rp 32,000. That is already far too expensive for me.

With the new fares, it might cost me around Rp 50,000 now, which is equal to the same price of nine train tickets from the Kota station to Cisadane. I certainly prefer to use public transport rather than taxis, even if I get home late.

I can't comment on the rise in taxi fares because I already thought the old fares were too expensive. Raising expensive fares to make them even more expensive does not make any sense.

Moreover, there are a lot of new bus companies operating in the Cisadane area. Why would anyone choose a taxi, if buses, minibuses or ojek are available at any time and are cheaper?

I barely ever see a taxi passing down the main road of the area where I'm living. With the increased fares, I don't think this situation will change.

--The Jakarta Post