From Salemba to Matraman, Street-Side Car Paint Workers Compete for Customers

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The sound of vehicles never truly stops on Jalan Salemba Raya, Central Jakarta.

Amidst the midday traffic congestion, several men stand on the roadside, observing the passing vehicles.

Some wave to drivers, while others sit under trees, waiting for customers.

Behind them, signs reading “CAR AND MOTORCYCLE PAINTING”, “WELDING AND BODY REPAIR”, and “DENT AND SCRATCH REPAIR” are prominently displayed along the sidewalk.

A similar scene can be found on several streets in Jakarta, from the Matraman area in East Jakarta to Salemba and Kramat Raya in Central Jakarta.

These street-side car painting services are part of the capital city’s informal economy, which continues to survive amidst competition from modern workshops and enforcement efforts.

As observed by Kompas.com on Wednesday (May 13, 2026), the area was bustling from midday onwards.

The sound of car horns mixed with the grinding and hammering sounds of vehicle body repairs.

Several workers, wearing worn-out vests, stood on the roadside, offering their services to drivers.

Simple tools such as sandpaper, brushes, paint cans, and small compressors were stored under trees or on the side of the sidewalk.

Although it looks like a makeshift workshop on the roadside, the actual painting process is carried out in small workshops scattered throughout the surrounding residential areas.

Luhur said he has been working in the street-side car painting business for almost a decade.

He initially helped a friend in a small workshop before eventually starting to look for customers on the street.

“At first, I just helped with sanding and filling. Over time, I learned how to spray paint, and now I also look for customers on the street,” he said.

Some workers are responsible for finding customers on the roadside, while others work in the painting workshops.

He starts working every day from 6:00 AM until the afternoon. However, his income is not consistent.

“Sometimes I can get two to three cars a day. Sometimes I have no work for a week,” he said.

Meanwhile, dent repairs and repainting can cost between Rp 1 million and Rp 2 million, depending on the extent of the vehicle’s damage.

“A full body repaint is a different price. But most people come here because they want it to be cheap and fast,” he said.

The phenomenon of street-side car painting services is not new in Jakarta.

“It has been around since the 1970s. During the 1998 economic crisis, more and more people started working on the streets like this,” said Maman.

Maman himself has been doing this job since 1996.

He said he learned directly from the workshop, starting from sanding, filling, to painting techniques.