Taxi drivers profit from deserted roads

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The deserted roads in the capital and lack of public transportation has been a boon for taxi drivers.

Some taxi drivers said Friday that they could reap up to three times their usual earnings.

Pachrudin, a taxi driver for two years, said that on the first day of the Idul Fitri holiday he pocketed a Rp 150,000 (US$17.65) profit, three times higher than the Rp 50,000 he earned on regular weekdays.

The Idul Fitri holiday, which marks the end of the Ramadhan holy month, fell on Nov. 25 and Nov. 26.

"Many Jakartans are traveling to visit their relatives, going to shopping malls and recreational sites and the empty roads were good for us," he said.

"On Thursday, a family even gave me Rp 80,000 for a Rp 60,000 fare, to transport them from Kayu Putih in Central Jakarta to Kebon Jeruk in West Jakarta."

The capital's major thoroughfares of Jl. Jend. Sudirman and Jl. M.H. Thamrin were quiet with few cars seen on the roads on Friday.

Andri Heriansyah, a taxi driver from a company based in Kalibata, South Jakarta, echoed Pachrudin's comments.

"On regular weekdays, from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m., I could only earn a Rp 30,000 profit from 15 passengers. But on Tuesday alone, I pocketed a Rp 70,000 profit from 25 passengers," he said.

Andri said that less traffic during the holidays helped him find more passengers.

An estimated 2.11 million Jakartans joined the Idul Fitri exodus.

Despite the increasing profits, taxi drivers were annoyed with the stiffer competition among them.

"Indeed our profit increased by up to 20 percent during the holiday but it's still below last year's. The increasing number of taxis is probably the cause," said another, driver Anwar Sanusi.

He complained that although he earned a lot in one day during the holidays, it was not to cover his operational costs.

"I could earn Rp 100,000 per day during the Idul Fitri holiday but I must spend up to Rp 80,000 for fuel every one and a half days," he said.

Anwar slammed a big city taxi operator policy to renew its cars and always have more cars with different names with bases in the capital's surrounding cities.

"If there is no regulation to limit the number of taxis in Jakarta, I'm afraid we may not be able to get a profit again next year," he said.