Illegal Levies in Kapuk Kamal Force Truck Drivers to Shell Out, Preparing Loose Change Up to Rp 300,000

JAKARTA - Several truck drivers admit they must prepare money when passing through the Kapuk Kamal area in North Jakarta due to illegal levies (pungli) occurring along that route. One truck driver, Fatih (not his real name), even claims to ask for extra money from his company if he needs to pass through that area. “They’re already reluctant to come here, actually. That’s why we say, if you want to go here, the road money has to be big,” he told Kompas.com on Tuesday (5/5/2026). “When we come here, we have to prepare loose change, just calculate around Rp 200,000, Rp 300,000 in loose change alone,” he said. According to him, the amount of money spent can be quite substantial in a single trip, especially when passing through at night. Fatih also revealed that the burden of these levies often becomes an issue between drivers and companies. This is because not all companies provide money to drivers for these additional costs. In agreement, another driver, Ardi (45), said they are forced to spend money due to the numerous levy points along Kapuk Kamal. “Yeah, the amount varies, sometimes Rp 50,000 is gone just like that on the road. They ask for Rp 5,000 at every intersection. But sometimes I just prepare Rp 2,000. If I follow their demands, the money would be finished,” he said when met by Kompas.com on Tuesday. “Caught today, tomorrow there will be others, more again,” he added. Nevertheless, he still hopes that the practice of illegal levies around Kapuk Kamal can be completely eradicated.