Taxi drivers' behavior

Taxi drivers' behavior

I take Mr. Adwani S.L.'s letter (May 2, 1995) as a starting point to further protest the behavior of Jakarta's taxi drivers.

More and more often, it happens that before taking in a passenger, a taxi driver will first ask the destination. If it's not considered convenient, the taxi driver will refuse to "do his job" and leave the passenger on the sidewalk.

Indonesia is promoting tourism but its taxi drivers certainly don't leave a strong first impression with tourists.

I have lived in Indonesia for quite a long time and am accustomed to such a deficiency. If I have to go somewhere not too far, I do not even try to get a taxi. I go by bus or bajaj (three-wheeled motorized vehicle) without any problem.

But a few days ago I was with a Swiss guest in the Mangga Dua area in downtown Kota and we had to go back to Kemayoran (Ibis Hotel) in Central Jakarta. Well, I tried at least 10 times to find a taxi driver "willing to do his job", but no way! "It's too close was the answer. Finally, we were obliged to go back by bus. I asked myself: If my guest had been alone, how would he have managed to reach his hotel? As a foreigner, he couldn't understand why we were not entitled to get in a taxi, pay the fare and reach our destination.

It is a driver's duty to take people to their destinations just as it is a person's right to make use of a public service.

Why don't Jakarta's authorities set up a special team of plainclothes policemen? Pretending to be customers, they could check on taxi drivers and punish those who fail in their duty. This would serve as a warning to all taxi drivers, and help improve a public service that is most useful for tourists.

PIERO RONCI

Central Jakarta