Money is a bad ruler

As a daily commuter on public buses or Metro Minis, I must put up with every inconvenience and discomfort imaginable during a bus ride.

First of all, more often than not the buses are over-crowded. You will be packed among 20 to 30 passengers standing along the isle of the bus, and still the conductor keeps shouting: Tolong, pak, bu, geser ke tengah, bikin dua baris kiri kanan (Please, sirs, madams, move along a little bit to the middle; make two lines, right and left). In this case you must not question whether the conductor knows what he is shouting about. To me, he is only repeating words unconsciously.

If one time, by chance you find yourself sitting comfortably in a half-empty bus, you should not get excited too quickly. Because, as is often the case, you may be asked to move to another already full bus. This practice is possible because the former compensates the latter.

Never try to protest or argue with the driver about this unfair practice, because such a move will only end up with you left on the street alone. Rain will not necessarily prevent a driver causing inconvenience to his passengers. To keep sane I take this event as part of the day's joke.

Does the government enforced discipline movement have any effect on the drivers' behavior? Most drivers observe the rules only if police are around. In spite of the warning Sesama bis kota dilarang saling mendahului (Buses are prohibited from overtaking each other) pasted on the rear windshield of most buses, drivers seem to be quite ignorant of the existence of this warning. Perhaps they never have problems with this warning.

Finally, thanks to their slogan: Anda perlu waktu, kami perlu uang (You passengers are concerned with time, we drivers need money) drivers never stop to allow passengers enough time to get off the bus safely, instead they keep moving (not slow enough), while the conductor shouts: buru dikit, buru dikit (come on, hurry up, hurry up!). After finding myself safe and sound on the ground, I can't help saying: "Oh, money has ruled these people's brains and behavior. Unfortunately, although money is sometimes a good servant, it is always a bad ruler."

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