Is this the end of the road for 'Cidomo'?

Is this the end of the road for 'Cidomo'?

Panca Nugraha, Contributor, Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara

Dozens of cidomo (two-wheeled horse carriage) queue up at the
Ampenan Cerah Ceria Plaza from early morning to late evening
waiting for passengers.

It is a common sight in the province's capital, to see people
use cidomo to take them to their destinations. Each cidomo can
carry eight to 10 passengers. The fee is relatively low, yet it
can be bargained.

Measuring about 1.5 meters square and using car wheels, cidomo
is a specific and popular means of public transport on Lombok
island, especially in Mataram.

The horses that pull cidomo are usually colorfully adorned
with accessories which tinkle every time they move.

Cidomo has been familiar to people in Mataram for so long that
no one really knows its history.

Even Suhandi, 46, who has served as a cidomo driver for 12
years, has no idea on the origins of the carriage.

"Cidomo is not a Sasak word," he said, referring to Lombok's
native language.

People believe that cidomo is derived from a combination of
cikar (bullock cart), dokar (buggy) and motor (motorcycle).

Some cidomo drivers said that back in the 1970s and 1980s
there were only cikar and dokar to carry goods and passengers.
Both carriages then developed into more modern and more efficient
vehicles.

In East Lombok, cidomo is known as becak, said Suhandi, who
usually earns Rp 20,000 (US$2.1) per day.

There are about 8,000 cidomo, 2,067 of which are operating in
Mataram. The remainder can be found in three other regencies:
West Lombok, Central Lombok and East Lombok.

But the large number of cidomo has proved to be a headache for
the Mataram administration.

"The number of cidomo increases every year," said Lalu
Serinata, head of the Mataram Information and Communication
Office.

In 1998, the local Land Transportation Agency issued a
regulation obliging cidomo drivers to have driving license and
vehicle registration number. They also called on the drivers to
provide a horse manure bag in each carriage.

The agency has also launched an annual movement -- in
coordination with municipal guards -- to discipline cidomo owners
and drivers.

Swira, the municipal guards commander, said that cidomo
drivers often violated regulations which resulted in horse manure
being scattered around the city.

"Violators caught red-handed are usually taken to the nearest
office to make a letter pledging they won't repeat it in the
future," Swira said, adding that driving licenses will be revoked
if they continue violating regulations.

But still many cidomo drivers ignore the regulation as they
continue to queue for passengers in the city center.

"They disperse when the municipal guards launch an operation,
but return to the center when the operation is over," Swira said.

Cidomo has been blamed as the source of traffic jams in
streets in Mataram. Therefore, the administration has planned to
replace cidomo with bajaj (three-wheeled motorized pedicabs).

"But the replacement plan will be implemented gradually," said
Lalu.

Many people still prefer to use cidomo. Besides, it has
created job opportunities and given income to people, including
grass cutters who supply grass to cidomo owners to feed their
horses.

Lalu further disclosed that the Mataram administration would
restrict cidomo operations in certain areas and ban them from
operating along main streets.

"Since two years ago we have banned the addition of cidomo,"
Lalu said.

The administration has yet to officially ban cidomo operations
in Mataram but drivers have started to feel uneasy about their
future. They hope the administration will not ban cidomo.

Driver Ahmad expressed concern at the administration's plan to
ban cidomo because they cause traffic jam.

"We can follow the regulations," he said.