Cengkareng airport's poor taxi service

The Sukarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng, Jakarta, remains the strangest I have ever seen, with motorcycle taxis operating in the area, some even moving in the opposite direction of cars, posing the danger of collision.

The taxi service at the airport has for years been muddled up, despite a new rule recently introduced to make taxis line up for passengers. This may be due to a lack of control by the airport management and taxi operators.

At the airport gate, cars picking up arrivals, taxis and motorcycle taxis are mixed up, like vendors in a traditional market. Some taxi drivers waiting in line offer official fares while others charge higher rates, also with the help of brokers.

Taxi passengers leaving the airport can see drivers slipping money to security officers, sometimes up to Rp 5,000 per encounter. It happens when the uniform-clad officers are handing airport taxi complaint cards to passengers.

Once when I was about to get into a taxi, a person I thought was the driver picked up my baggage and loaded it into the car. But he pushed me to give him a tip and would only leave after I called a security man. Later, when the taxi began to leave the airport, the driver asked for a higher fare, which I refused by ordering him to stop.

The Cengkareng airport has the worst taxi service compared to airports in neighboring countries, not to mention in East Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. It is even worse than the taxi service other domestic airports offer.

ATMAKUSUMAH ASTRAATMADJA, Jakarta