Taxi drivers here are not so bad!

I really feel that I have to respond to the article CABeat emptor -- driver beware which caught my eye in The Jakarta Post on Sunday, Nov. 21, 1999.

Back in Jakarta, after an enforced absence of 15 months, I was struck by the somewhat extreme views expressed by your contributor. Please let me speak up for the taxi drivers of Jakarta. As one of the foreign families who have made their home in this fascinating city, I have had many occasions to use taxis in Jakarta and want to counter the quite ludicrous views expressed by Mr. Furney.

Over a period of four years here I have reached a number of conclusions, based on first hand experiences: 1. Taxis (in the central business district and South Jakarta at least) appear far more plentiful and readily available than in the center of major cities in certain neighboring countries. (And without having to incur the Rp 20,000 booking fee for a Singapore taxi) 2. Drivers here are willing to stop and pick you up anywhere, even in the middle of a stream of traffic or on a major highway 3. A taxi always seems to come along after only a few moments of waiting on the side of, say, Jl. HR Rasuna Said or Jl. Fatmawati. 4. Taxi drivers here in Jakarta appear to be genuinely offended by the sight of a middle-aged foreigner walking along the street and will make many attempts to relieve my 'distress' by inviting me into their cab. Any plea that I am walking along the road because I want to appears ridiculous to them. 5. Almost every driver seems genuinely pleased and surprised if a simple greeting is given in Bahasa Indonesia or if the destination is pronounced in a reasonably appropriate way. I actually share the irritation of the taxi drivers that Mr. Furney describes who appear cross at the expectation that a driver earning US$15 a day should be expected to speak English (or German, Dutch or Japanese). On many occasions, the driver has beamed at me and expressed his pleasure that I speak his language, only for the conversation to shortly end in embarrassment as I dry up after only a few phrases. Never mind, now I am back and determined to brush up my taxi-specific vocabulary and expressions. Hati hati! (be careful or watch out) seems particularly useful.

Yes, I have had problems, but only two that I can recall. The first was a tale of frustration and despair as I waited for a taxi for over 90 minutes one day: mind you, it was during a thunderstorm, late on a Friday afternoon, at Semanggi (and in desperation at the Hilton) so I should have known better! The other was when I was traveling in a President Taxi (RIP!) and it broke down near Blok M on our way to Cilandak. I confess that I got frustrated, gave up after 10 minutes of watching the taxi driver's fruitless endeavor under the hood and got out to find another taxi. Actually though, I decided to change my form of public transport that day and take the opportunity to try one of the brightly colored buses that ply that route. Now that was an experience to remember.

So please Mr. Furney, get real! Think about the agony of waiting on a Singapore street for ever, as taxi after taxi goes past: empty, light on, but destined for a better fare than you appear to offer. Think about the real dollar value of the small change that you argue over. Think about the cost of a taxi at KLIA, Narita or Heathrow.

Finally, be grateful for Jakarta taxi drivers and quit complaining!

KEITH CUNDALE

Jakarta