Pickups available for rent under Slipi flyover

By Listiana Operananta

JAKARTA (JP): If you pass under the Slipi flyover you might wonder why there are so many pickup trucks lined up. Is it a used-car lot? No, it's not -- it's a pickup rental area.

The pickups are rented to transport all kinds of items, from people's belongings to freshly purchased groceries at the market for shop owners.

If you ever have a chance to stop there -- although it would be kind of difficult because you would block traffic -- you could spot men, young and middle-aged, hanging out there.

These are the drivers and the drivers' assistants.

The Jakarta Post reporter was immediately surrounded when she approached the site.

"Would you like to rent a pickup, mbak (Miss)? What kind of things do you need transported? How many pickups do you need?" they asked.

All of them spoke in a heavy Javanese accent. "We all come from the same village in Jepara, Central Java," one of the men said.

The man, Pak Darim, 30, seemed to be the oldest, because his friends respected him. He acted like a true public relations officer to the press.

Darim said there were 23 pickups with around 20 drivers and 15 assistants. "Each of us have a different boss, because some have four cars, but others only one," he said,

But Darim also said that most of the bosses were Javanese who also ran other businesses in Jakarta. "They entrust us with the pickup rental business," he said

Darim also said that since most of the owners came from the same town, all drivers and assistants came from the same town too.

"The youngest driver we have is only 15 years old," he said with a smile of a conspiracy.

He said most drivers only went to junior high school -- some even only had an elementary education.

"We don't have enough money for an education, so when we were young we all learned how to drive cars, with the intention of going to Jakarta and becoming drivers," he said.

Darim also said that one of the drivers, who was in Bali on business, was a graduate of the University of Diponegoro in Semarang. "He didn't find a job here or back home, so he became a driver," he said.

The drivers all agreed with Darim and that in their hometown they could not make ends meet.

When asked whether they were much better off now, the drivers all laughed and said, "Of course not!"

"But here we can earn much more by experiencing things," they said.

Replacement

Darim said the average length of their experiences ranged from two years to eight years. "We always seek someone back home when a replacement is needed," he said.

Drivers and assistants are paid on commission. Each month they pay their monthly earnings minus 35 percent of their due to pickup owners. Out of the remaining 35 percent, 20 percent goes to the driver and 15 percent to the assistant.

They said every month they also pay Rp 30,000 (US$12.30) per vehicle to a nearby police station and Rp 40,000 to the City Land Transportation Agency.

Togek, another driver, said that they have to pay or they cannot do business in the area. He also said that they have to shoulder the burden even when they have to borrow money from friends.

"We know they're illegal levies, but one of my friends was prohibited (from driving) for a month because he couldn't afford to pay," Togek said.

Customers, they said, were not regular.

They said income was not enough especially for those who have to send money to families back home. (None of them has brought family to Jakarta).

"Sometimes I can send Rp 40,000 home every month, but sometimes I can't even send a penny. So I think it would be very difficult to bring a family here. I can't afford to send my kids to school here," Darim said.

He also said that they have to rent a small cubical room with six friends in nearby Pejompongan. He said the rent was fairly cheap because each only pays Rp 15,000 per month.

"Life is not easy here, but with so many friends we always manage to make ends meet," Togek said.

But neither Darim nor the other drivers have any intention to go back to their hometown.

"We love it here. There are malls we can go and see, even though we've never bought anything. We can also find all kinds of different jobs if we get bored. Many opportunities are available," Darim said, and his statement was supported by the others.