Motorcycle taxi drivers fight to survive despite high risks
By Ivy Susanti
JAKARTA (JP): Have you had problems getting transportation in remote areas not reachable by public transportation vehicles? Or been in a hurry in the middle of the city, but become trapped in a heavy traffic jam?
It is in situations like these that ojek (motorcycle taxis) usually come in handy as a means of alternative transportation.
During traffic jams ojek are speedier than other public transportation vehicles like buses and taxis because they can swiftly pass through narrow passages and can be used to take shortcuts through small alleyways.
Usually people decide to use ojek to reach their destinations rather than taxis or bajaj (three-wheeled motorized vehicles) when they are in a hurry.
An increasing number of people, especially those dismissed from their jobs because of the prolonged monetary crisis, have switched their professions to ojek drivers, especially in housing complexes.
But being an ojek driver is not always a desirable job given the risks of being robbed or even murdered by passengers, intent on stealing their motorcycles. "We need to fill our stomachs. If they were full, we wouldn't work as ojek drivers. But if we don't do this work, it means our wives and children will die," Shely Gozali, an ojek driver operating in Pasar Minggu in South Jakarta, said.
One of Shely's colleagues, Sugianto, 27, was found dead with multiple stab wounds on Jl. Kemuning I at Pejaten Timur subdistrict in South Jakarta on the night of Sept. 17.
His Honda Force-One motorcycle was allegedly stolen by two unidentified men who pretended to be Sugianto's passengers.
Eyewitnesses said the two people asked Sugianto, a resident of Jl. Condet Raya in Balekambang subdistrict, East Jakarta, to take them to the nearby Volvo service building on Jl. Raya Pasar Minggu. Police are now investigating the case.
There have been a number of ojek drivers murdered by their passengers for their motorcycles.
Shely explained that he had become adept at recognizing the intending thieves.
"They usually pretend to ask the driver to take them to a certain destination after negotiating the cost with the driver for quite a long time," he said.
"During negotiations, they shift their sights from the driver to observe the motorcycle," said Shely, who lives on Jl. AUP in Pasar Minggu subdistrict.
He said that prospective robbers usually prefer drivers with new motorcycles and ask them to take winding routes.
Another driver, Ismail, admitted that last August, he himself nearly fell victim to one of his passengers who turned out to be a thief.
The man asked him to go to Jl. Condet, but as he was suspicious Ismail again asked his passenger to mention the exact location, just a few meters away from the ojek base. "Which part of Jl. Condet do you mean?" he asked.
Jl. Condet is a long-narrow street passing along five subdistricts in East Jakarta. People used to call the street by the name of the subdistricts, such as Condet Batu Ampar, when mentioning the destination. After being forced to disclose an address, the passenger later asked him to go to Jl. Inspeksi Saluran Kalimalang, near Borobudur University, in Cipinang Melayu subdistrict, East Jakarta, Ismail said, adding that it was far away from the original destination.
"I immediately asked him to get off my motorcycle. Even though he threatened not to pay me. I replied, `No problem. Now get off!'. I wasn't afraid at all because there were many people watching our conversation," he said.
Hamid, another driver, recalled that six days earlier, an unidentified passenger asked him to take him to the Blue Diamond Discotheque on Jl. Tanjung Barat in South Jakarta.
"I was about to turn my motorbike after receiving payment, when suddenly he grasped my right arm," he said.
"I struggled by pushing him aside so that he fell down. I fled on my motorcycle, he said, adding that suddenly he spotted two men, following him on an RX King motorcycle.
"I turned my bike to nearby Gang Langga. Realizing that the alley was full of youths hanging around in the area, the two men stopped the hunt," he said.
Most of the ojek drivers said that they would not dare to take any weapons for self-defense.
"Sometimes I just take screwdrivers for self-defense. But I dare not take knives or machetes, as I'm afraid of being caught in police operations. They might suspect me as a robber" said Ismail, who started to work as an ojek driver in 1989.
Despite the risk, however, the ojek drivers said that they could make up to Rp 25,000 (US$2.27) each night. If they want to get more, they operate during the day.