Blue Bird firm demands security guarantee

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

The management of the Blue Bird taxi company sought a security guarantee from the police in Bandung on Tuesday, a day after one of its cabs was vandalized by rival taxi drivers as part of an increasingly heated dispute between taxi drivers in the city.

Non-Blue Bird taxi drivers have been up in arms since Blue Bird began operating in the city on Nov. 7, saying the arrival of the well-known taxi company had significantly reduced their earnings.

Hundreds of taxi drivers descended on the city council building on Monday to file an official protest. The drivers stopped a passing Blue Bird taxi and pounded on the vehicle. Although the incident was minor and no one was hurt, it served as a wake-up call to the Blue Bird management that more serious incidents could occur in the future.

"We are not demanding that an officer be assigned to guard each of our cabs, but we are asking the police to enhance their monitoring of our taxis operating in the city," said Adjat Sudrajat, the general manager of Blue Bird Bandung.

Adjat said Blue Bird taxi drivers in Lombok, Banten and Bali had received similar threats, but so far there had been no incidents of violence.

Blue Bird has operated dozens of taxis in Bandung since Nov. 7 and will expand its fleet in the city to 150 by the end of the year. Blue Bird, a Jakarta-based taxi operator, is the most well- known and professional taxi company in the country and is viewed as a threat by taxi companies outside of Jakarta.

Officials in Bandung have welcomed the arrival of the company. Blue Bird's presence in the city will increase the competition among taxi operators and benefit passengers, said Bandung Mayor Dada Rosada.

Authorities say they have received numerous complaints from passengers about taxi service in the city, including the failure of drivers to use the meter and the poor state of many of the taxis.

Officials say the arrival of Blue Bird will force other taxi operators in Bandung to improve their services if they hope to survive.