Taxi problem

In reference to Lanny Hidayat's letter of Nov. 29 entitled Improper manner, I can explain her problems with the Silvera taxi drivers outside Apartment Taman Rasuna on Nov. 24. I had exactly the same experience, about an hour before her. My fiancee and I were walking out to the main gate to get a Silvera taxi but when an empty Express taxi passed us, we flagged it down and got in. I have done this dozens of times in the past.

When we got to the main gate, the Silvera taxi drivers surrounded the Express, threatened our driver and tried to make us get out. I objected and got into a shouting match with one of the drivers which became quite aggressive. The security guard then intervened, very nervously, and sent our taxi on its way. The poor Express driver was terrified. Blue Bird drivers have also told me about problems with the Silvera drivers.

The Silvera drivers said that they pay a fee, three million rupiah a month or so, to sit in front of Taman Rasuna. I don't know whether this fee goes to the management or to the security guards. The Silvera drivers tolerate other taxi companies picking up people on phone bookings but think that any passenger who walks out of the buildings and looks for a taxi is their monopoly. Having paid their fee, they get angry at losing business which they believe should belong to them. What they don't understand is that we passengers, and other taxi companies, are not bound by any agreement made by Silvera with third parties without our consent. If they keep hassling people in this way, they're going to end up losing a lot of passengers.

DIARMID O'SULLIVAN

Jakarta