Taxi drivers profit from deserted roads

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.