Cloud hangs over the future of 'Bajaj' in Jakarta

Cloud hangs over the future of 'Bajaj' in Jakarta

By John Aglionby

LOVE them or loathe them, you can't ignore Jakarta's bajaj.

They are viewed as either cost-efficient "taxis", that are
invaluable to tens of thousands of Jakarta residents, or, as
street-clogging, pollution-belching monstrosities that should be
consigned to the scrap heap.

Such is the debate over the bajaj, the three-wheeled motorized
vehicles that grumble rather than purr around the capital's
streets, transporting people who do not want to take a bus or
taxi.

Powered by a 150cc engine, the bajaj first appeared in Jakarta
in 1977. There are now more than 14,000 serving all five city
mayoralties. Two people can fit in the back comfortably, but it
is common to see many more packed like sardines into the small
rear cabin.

Regulations state that they have to be a gaudy shade of
orange, although it is not uncommon to see a rogue green or
yellow bajaj meandering through the suburbs.

The pollution bajaj emit from their exhausts is one of the
main complaints against them. It is caused by a concoction of
gasoline and oil that powers them. But Sumar, who has been a
bajaj driver for 15 years, says the pollution needn't be as bad
as it often is.

"If you mix the oil and gasoline in the right proportions
(1:9), the emissions should be no worse than those from a car,"
he said.

"And they are not nearly as bad as what comes out of metro
mini buses."

According to Sumar, their greatest advantage is their
maneuverability.

"They can turn almost on the spot and can get up and down
alleys that no other vehicles can even think about entering," he
said.

Their presence, however, is technically in breach of a 1985
provincial decree on city planning, which stipulates that public
transport vehicles must have at least four wheels.

And, so, their days of weaving in and out of traffic and
giving drivers of smart cars heart attacks are numbered, although
no one knows exactly when they will follow their pedal-powered
relatives and be banished beyond the city's boundary.

Haja Suarni is one of those people whose livelihood may be
threatened by the decision. She owns 20 bajaj and runs them from
a garage on Jl. Paku Buwono 6, South Jakarta.

"I bought my first bajaj 15 years ago," she said. "In those
days, one vehicle cost less than Rp 5 million (US$2,050 at
today's exchange rate).

A new one today would cost me at least Rp 12 million."

Suarni says each of her bajaj is given a thorough service
every couple of months.

"Provided you look after them properly, there's no reason why
they shouldn't last just as long as a car."

She also insists on her vehicles being properly lit and
maintained by the drivers. "You can't expect bajaj to survive if
they are not lit at night."

Last year, Suarni and her drivers protested at Jakarta
Governor Surjadi Soedirdja's office and believe the bajaj have
won a reprieve. "He told us they would only be phased out when a
replacement had been found and also not before the bemo were
taken off the streets.

"Although the authorities have been talking about getting rid
of the bemo for ages they are still around, so, I am confident I
will not be moving my bajaj for some time."

Bemo are also three-wheeled public transport vehicles but can
seat six people in the back and one beside the driver.

There is no definite news on what will replace the bajaj. One
possibility is the molek (an Indonesian acronym meaning
electronic car), a larger, four-wheeled vehicle. It costs Rp 100
to travel a kilometer (a bajaj costs almost six times that
figure) and can run for up to five hours before the 36-volt
battery needs to be recharged.

A molek was tested at City Hall in March of this year.
Surjadi's response was positive but he said his administration
would not be pushed into committing itself to buying them in
bulk.

With such an unhurried attitude from the decisionmakers, it is
highly likely that Suarni's confidence is justified and her 20
drivers will be chuggin' around the streets for some time to
come.