Three-in-one zones provide employment for thousands

Three-in-one zones provide employment for thousands

By Irene Sugiharto

JAKARTA (JP): The sight of people gesturing at passing cars
and peaking through their windows is a commonplace occurrence in
early morning Jakarta. They are the three-in-one jockeys, who
line many streets leading to restricted zones. The zones
stipulate that all private vehicles must carry no less than three
passengers.

The jockeys offer themselves as passengers for a short ride
into the restricted zones and past the police checkpoints for a
fee of at least Rp 1,000. A driver's generosity can bump this up.

Jl. Prapanca Raya or Jl. Pattimura in South Jakarta are two
areas where a bunch of male jockeys await the morning commuters.
But if you are going past in front of the Supreme Audit Agency
(BPK) or along Jl. Pakubuwono, female jockeys prevail.

Emil, 14, is one of the senior jockeys who has been in the
business for seven years, not long after the restricted zone was
created in 1992.

"I need the money and this job is a quick earner," said the
girl, whose parents runs a warung (food stall).

A junior high school student in the western part of Jakarta,
Emil takes lifts on average, with four customers on a daily
basis.

"I make about Rp 6,000 per day, which I normally use as my
allowance and the rest goes to my savings," she said. "It's like
getting money without having to do anything."

But the job is not without its risks. There have been times
when police have launched raids against these children. They are
accused of disturbing the public order. Tia said she had been
netted in two raids, for which she was sent to city police
headquarters.

"They gave us counseling and warnings and set us free in the
afternoon." She considered herself lucky, as she heard some of
her friends, who were caught for the third time, were sent to
Cipayung rehabilitation center in East Jakarta. She said her
friends were locked up for a few days and received harsh
treatment.

That's not the only risk of her job. "Some male customers
invite me to hotels to spend a day with them, but when I refuse
they never try to pursue it."

Like Emil, other young female jockeys often face harassment,
but they say they are able to handle it.

Tia, a 16-year-old student at a public school has been a
female jockey for the past three years.

Her average earning for a morning's work is Rp 5,000. Most of
this is given to her parents to help pay her school fees, with
some put into her piggy bank.

"Being a jockey has its good points, but there are more bad
points to it. It's quite tough being a female jockey because you
never know what you're getting in to."

Every school day, both Tia and Emil work in the morning for
about three hours, then return home to prepare for school. They
said this work was their only job, with the rest of the day set
aside for their studies.

Diah has been a jockey for less than two years. She is 19
years old, married and has a one and a half year old daughter.

She acknowledged that being a jockey was not her ideal job.
"Even my husband is frightened of my safety every single day,"
the innocent-faced woman explained.

"I usually only get two customers every morning, and sometimes
not a single one. When I'm lucky I earn Rp 5,000 per day, but it
feels like an insignificant amount compared to the harassment
female jockeys have to put up with."

Asked how a male customer would "approach" her she replied,
"First I thought most customers would be women wanting safety
with female jockeys, but strangely enough they're mostly men.

"They have so many reasons to take us to hotels, like an
unhappy marriage, missing their spouse, but none has ever refused
a rejection."

The Three-In-One Passenger Restriction Zone was established
during the administration of Jakarta Governor Wiyogo
Atmodarminto. It kicked off on April 20, 1992. The idea behind
the scheme is to reduce traffic congestion in specific zones from
6:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Monday to Saturday.

The restriction zone covers the main business center in the
city's heart -- Jl. Sudirman, Jl. Thamrin and Jl. Gatot Subroto
-- where high-rise office buildings are located. Since the
establishment of the three-in-one policy, early morning traffic
congestion has been reduced considerably. However, congestion in
other areas persists, or in some instances has worsened as
drivers seek alternative routes in an effort to avoid the
restricted zone.

With Jakartans' bent for individual pursuits, car pooling is
not popular in this city, so the three-in-one regulation has
provided a "job" for hundreds of jockeys. Many motorists
appreciate their presence, and there has been no report of
robbings. Instead of taking an alternative route or taking a risk
of catching a policeman's eye for violating the Three-In-One
regulation and is ticketed, many motorists prefer to avail
themselves of the jockeys' service.

In the past, few females sought such employment. However,
increasing numbers of females are offering their service in this
business. Today's three-in-ones (as they prefer to be called) in
fact comprise a range of people from different age groups: young
children, adolescents, mothers carrying their babies, male adults
as well as female adults.

Perhaps the sight of these individuals is not esthetically
pleasing, but one must be creative in order to survive in this
populous country.

Dr. Sardjono Djatiman, a sociologist, commented: "These
people, whether males or females, are just trying to make ends
meet. There is really no unique difference between males and
females, except for the risk factor, an issue not very much
considered by these female jockeys."

"No special skills are needed, besides having guts, and what
they are doing is just an extra job, besides their first job or
being a student."

Survival of the fittest is what seems to underpin the jockeys'
willingness to stand proudly on the streets waiting for strangers
to hire them for a short ride.

These jockeys, no matter how old they are and no matter how
long they have been in the business, have one thing in common.
They are trying to earn a living. Many have been arrested.
Warnings have been given but are always ignored.

It's possibly a natural instinct to always try to come back
into this field. And why not, if the job provides good, clean
money.