'CABeat emptor' -- driver beware

'CABeat emptor' -- driver beware

JAKARTA (JP): In almost every major city it is taxis that rule
the roads. Their drivers, bored by endless hours and years on the
streets, feel secure in the knowledge that they have an
inalienable right to dictate who goes where on city
thoroughfares.

The only difference in Jakarta is that, although drivers may
feel they own the roads, often they are unsure as to which ones
they, in fact, are.

A recent example when wanting to go from Menteng to Jl.
Sudirman, the driver asked "which way?". And this classic, when
wanting to go from Kota to Jl. Thamrin, "Where is Jl. Thamrin?".

Being stuck in a jam in this town is no joy. Particularly when
the vehicle you are in happens to be a taxi. (And why is it that
every time a few drops of rain fall there is a gridlock?)
Frequently your driver will become irate as the traffic slows to
a halt, endlessly beeping his horn to no avail. This, regardless
of the fact that the meter continues to run, clocking up the
rupiah. If Indonesians were not generally so mild-tempered, I am
sure road rage would be more prevalent here.

Recently, a taxi driver told me he worked an 18-hour day, on a
day-on-day-off basis. He said this was the best way to make money
as he had to pay his firm Rp 100,000 per day, and after that
whatever he collected was his. When asked how much he took in on
an average day, he replied "about Rp 150,000".

For most people, who are not workaholics, the working day is
about eight hours. To be confined to a small vehicle for much
longer than that must surely lead to feelings of frustration and
undeniable boredom.

Another driver, from a different firm, confided that he used
to work as an electrician for a bank until it was closed down by
the government last year. He said that the only job he had been
able to find was that of taxi driver and that soon he would leave
for Brunei where he had found work on an oil rig.

He said he found Westerners the worst passengers as often they
were unable to speak Bahasa Indonesia. He said they became
annoyed with him when he was unable to understand what they were
saying in English. "Why come to my country and expect everyone to
speak English?" he asked.

The taxi scene in Jakarta has been changing over the past
year. No longer are you as likely to be charged 10 times the
normal fare from Soekarno-Hatta airport to your destination. Even
much loathed cabs from a certain company have undergone a name
change and have changed the color of their cars. Unfortunately,
this has done little to assuage the fare-paying public that its
drivers are still as reckless and its cars wrecks.

One thing that is likely to get up the collective noses of
drivers is when one requests a change in destination en route to
the originally requested one.

I am not an unreasonable person, in fact quite understanding
and patient at times. Frequently, when in a taxi, I just sit back
and "enjoy" the scenic route to my destination.

But one night, when I arrived home by taxi, it was a different
story. The fare came to Rp 5,100. Not having any change, just a
Rp 5,000 note and some twenties, I proffered a twenty. He said he
had no change. I informed him of the same on my part and gave him
the 5,000. Refusing to accept it, he said he would drive around
and find someone with change. As it was the dead of night and
there was nobody around I left him with the five thousand and got
out of the taxi. He too, got out and ran at me brandishing a
small knife in his hand.

Not wanting to make a short story long, this scenario went on
for about 15 minutes and involved him repeatedly trying to stab
me as I ran into my house and he attempted to break in after me.
Eventually, I found Rp 100 and gave it to him, making a note of
the taxi number and registration. When I told him I was about to
report him to both the police and his firm he became irate,
telling me that if I did so he would come back and kill me.

Other such horror stories have abounded over the past number
of years. Some of them not ending as "agreeably" as the above.
And you, dear reader, will no doubt have your own portentous
collection.

Take a taxi first thing in the morning and when it comes time
to pay up, you are sure to hear the words baru keluar (just
started). This, from even the most respected firms, involves
either driving around like a lemon searching for a warung with
change or paying way over the odds for the journey. And this
trend seems to continue throughout the day. It is baffling why
firms cannot provide their drivers with floats before they begin
a shift.

But, of course, not all taxi drivers are bad. Frequently, they
are a good source of information on locations and current
grassroots feelings and are cheerful to boot.

Work colleagues and friends advise what taxis to take and not
to take. Sure, we'd all like the newest taxi, the most honest
driver and a meter that doesn't move so fast it leaves your head
in a spin. Not always possible though. One can, of course, phone
for a cab before leaving home or the office. But what if you have
been standing in either the scorching sun or pouring rain for 10
minutes and the only sign of available transport is a clapped out
bajaj (three-wheeled motorized vehicle) or the only empty taxi
that passes is a definite no-no. What to do? Take the taxi and
suffer the consequences. What else?

-- William Furney