Crossing boat on Ciliwung river saves pedestrians
Crossing boat on Ciliwung river saves pedestrians
By Poltak Hotradero
JAKARTA (JP): In Jakarta, crossing a river is not an easy thing to do. Most bridges are dominated by cars and motorcycles as if they were built only for them. Some of the bridges don't even have sidewalks, an obvious problem for pedestrians.
Due to "fierce" competition with modern transportation means, many pedestrians on their way from Jl. Gunung Sahari in Central Jakarta choose to use a crossing boat available at the Ciliwung river.
Toro, a 17-year-old boat attendant, is a person the pedestrians turn to when they need to cross the Ciliwung river from Jl. Gunung Sahari to Pasar Baru market and vice versa.
Along with his uncle, Toro provides crossing services to those who don't want to waste energy or time walking to the nearest bridge located 150 meters away.
He came to Jakarta in early February to join his uncle after spending so much time doing nothing in his hometown of Brebes, Central Java.
"I used to help my father do the farming, but I got bored because my father's rice field is too small, only 0.25 hectares," said Toro. "After doing my work in the field, I had nothing to do."
Toro and his uncle have arranged a boat schedule.
"I begin to work from 6 a.m. to noon. At 4 p.m. I'm back to business with my uncle until 10 p.m.," he said.
It seems an easy job. Wait for passengers. Take them across and collect the fare of Rp 100 (four US cents) per person.
"Some of them pay Rp 150 or Rp 200, but sometimes in the morning many people skip the fare and say that they don't have small change," Toro said.
His passengers come from all walks of life, including street vendors who bring along their bulky possessions and others who bring their bicycles.
How about the fare of these passengers?
"I can do nothing. It's up to them how much they will pay," he said.
The most he collects in one day with his uncle is Rp 35,000. In the rainy season, a hard time for them, they barely collect Rp 12,000 a day.
After finishing a busy day, in good times or bad times, Toro and his uncle cannot leave their boat. Another job still waits for them as they must guard their boat.
"We sleep on the boat but before to go to sleep we have to park the boat in the middle of river. It's safer."
Why?
"I'm afraid of the rats that live in the river banks. They're so big and filthy. They are as big as cats. In my hometown I never saw a rat that big," he said, lamenting the fact that the boat's berth is situated near a garbage dumping ground, where rats live, eat, and breed.
Besides taking people across the river, Toro provides other small services.
"Many people come to me just looking for small change or asking directions," he said.
Tarnya, his uncle, has been in the business since 15 years ago when he married the daughter of the boat owner.
Before moving to Pasar Baru, Tarnya operated his boat around Kartini street taking people across Ciliwung river, 1.5 km upstream from his current place.
Facing stiff competition with the other boat attendants operating in the area, Tarnya moved to Pasar Baru 10 years ago.
"No other place is more strategic than here. Here the bridge is too far for pedestrians and we are situated between two busy markets, Pasar Baru and Pasar Kombongan," said Tarnya.
About his boat, Tarnya said, "I have to save money to buy a new boat. I have to replace this boat, which I've operated over the last four years." He said that the lifetime of a boat is only about five years. A new boat currently costs about Rp 1 million.
Back to Toro. "I want to be a farmer one day, just like my father," said the eldest of four.
His mother passed away four years ago, when he was forced to quit elementary school to help his father.
"I don't want to be a boat attendant for the rest of my life. Being a boat attendant takes much of my time and I have no time to see Jakarta."