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.