Catching up with Jakarta buses

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

When Jakartans say they have to catch a bus, often they are speaking literally. For getting a bus in the capital frequently involves running down the street after the thing, because buses never actually seem to pull up next to bus stops and pick up passengers.

"Buses don't stop at bus stops anymore," Soeryanto, a resident of Pancoran, South Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post while waiting across the street from the Pasar Rumput market in Manggarai for a bus to the Kampung Rambutan bus station.

The bus stop was only 15 meters to the left of the intersection where he was standing, right under the pedestrian bridge.

A bus driver, Purba, said stopping at bus stops would mean losing time, passengers and, off course, money.

"But it's not only us (bus drivers) who are reluctant to stop there. Passengers often ask us to stop at the point closest to their destination, which is definitely not at a bus stop," the driver told the Post.

Several people were seen standing at a bus stop in front of Pasar Festival on Jl. Rasuna Said in South Jakarta last Friday, but they were not waiting for a bus. Rather, they were looking for magazines and crossword books at the shelter, which had been converted into a small magazine kiosk.

Over 100 publications were on display, creating a colorful wall at the back of the bus stop. A small kiosk selling snacks and soft drinks was located next to the magazines. There was even a bamboo chair next to the shelter.

"The owner of the magazine kiosk is the same person who owns the snack kiosk. We're open around the clock. The chair is where the night attendant sleeps," said Yanti, who has worked at the kiosk for two years.

Although there are no regulations that allow for the opening of magazine and snack kiosks inside bus stops, Yanti said the city's public order officers did not seem to mind.

"They charge us thousands of rupiah every month," she said.

The fact that some bus shelters have been turned into minimarkets, however, is not the only reason why most bus passengers do not use them.

Many bus stops across the city are in poor condition, including some that have lost their roofs. At some bus shelters some of the letters from the name of the stop have been lost, making for some funny words. For example, the bus stop near the Regent Hotel on Jl. Rasuna Said now bears the name Halte Rege (pronounced like "reggae").

Some bus stops, such as the one in front of City Hall on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan, has some artistic flair and boasts comfortable benches. But the benches at the bus stop down the street can make for some tricky sitting.

Some bus shelters have been turned into "homes" for the homeless and street buskers, making bus passengers think twice before stopping at them.

Bambang Permadi, who lives in Tebet, South Jakarta, said he got off at a bus stop on Jl. M.T. Haryono in South Jakarta and would never do so again.

"I was in the shelter, which was empty at first, when a group of men approached me and robbed me. They took my wallet and my mobile phone. They threatened me with a knife when I refused to tell them the PIN number for my ATM card," he said.