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.