Jakarta's taxis: A tall story

Jakarta's taxis: A tall story

By Clay Lucas

JAKARTA (JP): The average Jakarta taxi has enough headroom for the average Indonesian, but this causes problems for those of us who are much taller.

Being 195 centimeters tall has its benefits; riding in Jakarta's taxis is not one of them.

As a regular taxi user, I have become an expert on which taxis give you room to move and which give you a pain in the neck.

Let us begin with Citra. A fantastic taxi company. Their fleet is new, clean and with air conditioners so quiet you can hear a pin drop. They are also quiet enough, if you are tall and choose to sit in the back, to hear your neck vertebrae snap. So if you need a bit of extra space, be brave and ride up front.

Blue Bird cabs are eminently suitable for taller people, and their front seats offer more room than any other cab. Another incentive to travel with Blue Bird is that the front seats have seat belts, which in Jakarta's bumper-to-bumper traffic could save you a stay in the local hospital, or a much longer stay at the morgue.

Tall people who can afford the more expensive Silver Bird taxis will find them more comfortable than their cheaper counterparts. Silver Bird's back seats offer more headroom than any other Jakarta taxi. Enough room, in fact, to swing a small cat.

For tall people on a budget, Gamya taxis are a winner. These green angels are run by the Blue Bird Group and are as roomy in the back as in the front. They are usually in tip-top condition. You could say they are the poor man's Silver Bird.

Then there are the well-known and much derided President taxis. The quality of these taxis varies from quite good to appalling. Many of these red-and-yellow chariots rival any taxi for cleanliness, while others seem likely to break down at the next pothole.

Like President taxis, the standard of Koperasi taxis, with their striking orange and green markings, runs the gauntlet. Some are pristine and seem straight off the showroom floor, while others are just this side of the scrap heap. But in terms of head room, they are up there with the best.

Tall people should avoid Steady Safe taxis at all costs, because their roofs are the lowest in Jakarta. Kosti Jaya taxis generally fall into the same category, but some models can be surprisingly roomy.

Leg room is another crucial factor for tall people.

When sitting in the front seat, the first thing tall people do is try to maximize leg room. They will wrestle with the seat to see if it goes back and, if so, how far.

Many times, the issue is decided for you, because the adjustment lever is broken or missing.

Sometimes leg room in the front -- even when the seat is adjusted for maximum room -- is the same as leg room in the back.

Being tall can also be a problem when waiting at taxi stands, where you are forced to take whatever taxi comes along. Many times I have found myself skulking around taxi stands waiting for someone shorter to take the tiny cab in front, so I can snaffle the more spacious car behind it.

The quality of Jakarta's taxis has improved remarkably over the past 20 years. Several taxi companies which can serve all of Jakarta have cropped up. It would be great if there were more of them.

So, tall people can travel in comfort in Jakarta if they choose wisely.

Last year, Time magazine reported that as the standard of living in developing countries improves, the average height of their people increases.

For example, the average height of Japanese people has risen almost 10 centimeters since the 1940s.

I hope the Indonesian economy continues to boom and Indonesia becomes the tiger of Asia. That is sure to raise those taxi roofs.