Jakarta's taxi woes

It could be that not all of us are aware of the latest annoyance -- if that is a strong enough word -- many of our fellow commuters now suffer. Space limitations permitted only a brief report of this nuisance on Thursday.

Compared to the political developments and crises taking place in Indonesia and the world, grievances about the management of taxi services around Jakarta may seem quite irrelevant. But the problem is quite real for those whose lives depend on the availability of a regular and dependable transportation system within Jabotabek: the capital and its satellite cities of Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi. That adds up to hundreds of thousands of commuters a day, not including the cab drivers concerned.

During the past two weeks operations were intensified in Jakarta to enforce an agreement reached last year between the Land Transportation Control Agencies (DLLAJ) of Jakarta and West Java. Under the agreement, taxis from companies based in Jakarta are allowed to take passengers into the neighboring areas of Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi but are not allowed to operate inside these areas or bring passengers back to Jakarta. The reverse goes for taxis from Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi.

The restriction was reportedly prompted by complaints from Jakarta's 27 taxi companies that 95 percent of the estimated 4,000 taxis from surrounding towns invade Jakarta every day. The rule, and the excesses its implementation have invited, are a real problem.

Passengers from outside the city have reportedly been ordered from their taxis by Jakarta DLLAJ officers at the city's borders on the pretext that the taxis are not allowed to enter the capital -- not quite in accordance with the Jakarta and West Java agreement. According to the newspaper Kompas, some DLLAJ officials in Bekasi are threatening reciprocal action against Jakarta's taxis entering their territory.

Furthermore, Jakarta's taxi drivers have reportedly begun to take matters into their own hands by threatening and even assaulting rival taxis bringing passengers into the city.

All this has of course caused the income of Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi taxi drivers (and companies) to decline. Even worse, though, it impairs the mobility of people traveling between Jakarta and its surrounds. This diametrically contradicts -- actually negates -- the government's urban development plans.

A major objective of industrial and housing estate buffer zones is to funnel certain activities and population pressures away from the city in order to reduce the negative impacts of urbanization.

Therefore, it seems logical enough to ask: Why have restrictive boundaries been raised between Jakarta and its buffer zones? If Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi are to adequately support the capital city, wouldn't it be logical to minimize, rather than impose, obstacles?

Sure, Jakarta's taxi drivers deserve some protection. But this must be done without overriding the wider interest. Moreover, to judge by present demand, there is still room for more good taxis in Jakarta. By providing good service, Jakarta's taxis drivers would have no reason to fear competition from out-of-town cabs.