Cycling to earn a living in Jakarta
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.