'Kijang taxis? Whose great idea is that?'

The city administration's plan to launch a new public transportation service using Toyota Kijang vans amid the existing city-wide fleet of 25,000 sedan taxis, has received mixed reactions. The Jakarta Post ventured out for some comments from the streets.

Ujang, 28, is a street vendor selling bottled drink on Jl. Daan Mogot, West Jakarta. He lives with his brother in Kalideres, West Jakarta:

I don't know if people downtown need such taxis. But out here, we need more public buses and ojek (motorcycle taxis). They need buses to take them from Kalideres bus terminal to other parts of the capital and ojek to come to the terminal and go home.

The city administration should have provided the kind of public transportation the public needs instead of Kijang taxis.

If the administration launches Kijang taxis, I wonder if they'll eventually become angkot (public minivans).

Ahmad, 30, is a finance manager at a private company on Jl. Gatot Subroto, South Jakarta. He lives with his wife in Cipinang, East Jakarta:

Kijang taxis? Whose great idea is that? Let me guess -- the city administration's?

Well, they can take care of the busway and its feeder buses first, before trying out more great ideas.

I thought the city was concentrating on providing mass rapid transportation systems, like the busway and the monorail. Taxis, although they may be public transportation, are not "mass transportation".

Who can ensure that Kijang taxis will be used by groups of passengers rather than a single individual? If this happens, then the taxis will only create more congestion.

-- The Jakarta Post