Cycling to earn a living in Jakarta

By Sri Muninggar Saraswati

JAKARTA (JP): Cycling is more than a way of keeping fit, for some people it is actually how they earn their living.

It may sound a little bit strange, but within the hustle and bustle of a major urban center like Jakarta, you can still find bicycle taxis (ojek sepeda).

Unlike motorcycle taxis which operate all over the city, the bicycle taxis are mostly found in North Jakarta and West Jakarta.

In North Jakarta, you will find them, for example, near Kota railroad station, at Sunda Kelapa harbor, and in Koja, Mangga Dua and Ancol, while in West Jakarta, they operate in the Jelambar, Daan Mogot, Kapuk, Teluk Gong and Cengkareng areas, as well as some other places.

If you are passing near Sunda Kelapa harbor on Jakarta Bay, you will probably come across them. Dozens of drivers usually wait for passengers in front of the harbor entrance.

One of them is Arsa, 57, who said he became a bicycle taxi driver two years ago to pass the time (he is retired), and earn some money into the bargain.

"I have nothing to do now that I'm retired, so I decided to start working as a bicycle taxi driver," he said.

Before retiring, he was a low-level employee of RRI state radio on Jl. Medan Merdeka, Central Jakarta.

Arsa's wife passed away in 1998 while his only daughter, Ati, lives in Semarang, Central Java, with her family.

"I can meet and talk to my passengers. Some of them know me well," he noted, saying that he preferred to take middle-aged lady passengers since they liked to talk a lot.

"It's good entertainment for me," he said.

Arsa's services are available six days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. He always stops for a break between midday and 1 p.m.

He earns an average of Rp 20,000 a day.

The charge for a short ride of a few hundred meters is Rp 1,000, while for longer trip one has to pay up to Rp 2,500.

"The price is negotiable, however," Arsa said.

Another driver, Tohar, 40, said he works almost everyday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. He carries between 10 and 30 passengers per day.

Most of the passengers are residents living in the vicinity of the harbor or harbor employees. It's a couple of hundred meters to the harbor offices from the main gate, while residential areas around the harbor are located about one or two kilometers away.

Central Javanese by birth, Tohar moved to Jakarta seven years ago, hoping for a better life like his brother, who runs a small warung (food stall) not far from the port. Tohar, however, found it hard to get a job and, following his brother's suggestion, he bought a second-hand bicycle for Rp 50,000 ($5.80) and started to work as a bicycle taxi driver.

"My family and I can survive because of the money from this job," Tohar said happily. He can earn up to Rp 30,000 per day, if he is lucky.

He has a wife and five children, with the eldest being a junior high school student.

Tohar understands the risky nature of his work. Three years ago, he was involved in an accident with a taxi. He was not injured, but his bike was damaged. Luckily, the taxi driver paid Rp 30,000 to have the bike repaired.

He said he always tried to keep fit by eating regularly, drinking jamu (traditional herbal medicine), and wearing a raincoat whenever it rained.

Meanwhile, Dudi, a passenger, said he preferred taking bicycle taxis as they were cheaper than the three-wheel motorized bajaj or motorcycle taxis.

"I need a bicycle taxi to take me to the main road where I can get a bus to go to work," he remarked.