Toll collector enjoys her daily routine

By Emmy Fitri

JAKARTA (JP): Sitting inside a little booth in the middle of a toll road for seven hours a day sounds rather unpleasant, if not downright tortuous, but some people enjoy it.

Not only does the fair-skinned Nani Minarni love her job as a toll collector, she also met the love of her life while sitting in her booth.

"It is really not bad at all. We are working in an air- conditioned booth with an air curtain (installed in the booth window) which filters out the polluted air, with clean air inside our booth supplied by a fan," she said.

Nani, one of 450 toll collectors employed by toll road operator PT Jasa Marga, remains inside her booth for seven hours a day, giving tickets to motorists and receiving money from them.

"We are responsible for the money. If the amount is less than the figure on the counter, we have to make up the difference (with our own money). But if the amount is more, that's not ours," she said laughing.

The 23-year-old Nani said she worked from six in the morning to one in the afternoon daily, with two days off for every three working days. The latest she goes home is about 2:30 p.m.

Toll collectors work in three shifts: from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. and from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

"All of the female collectors work the first shift. We work the shortest time, but the busiest hours," she said, adding that there were 125 female toll collectors.

During work, toll collectors are given a one-hour break, which they spend in a nearby recreation room, complete with television, karaoke and couches.

During the first three hours of her shift, which is the busiest time, Nani is expected to be in the booth at all times.

"But of course, we are also allowed to leave the booth if we want to go to the bathroom or to have lunch. A friend will always fill in for you if you have to take care of personal business," Nani remarked.

The toll collectors in their booths and the control office communicate through an intercom system.

"Every morning (before leaving for the toll gate) our office provides us with milk to help us stay healthy," she said.

Nani said she was not concerned by the prospect of the pollution from the vehicles damaging her skin, as she paid regular visits to a beauty parlor to treat her skin and hair.

When asked about her first day on the job, Nani burst into laughter as she recalled being confused about whether she should collect the money or hand out the ticket first.

"When I saw other people doing it, it looked so easy but when I had to do it myself, I panicked and got confused. The table got messy as I was confused which had to be done first," she laughed.

So what qualities must a person possess to be a good toll collector?

"Honesty, responsibility and patience," she said.

Born in Cirata, Bandung, West Java, Nani never imagined she would become a toll collector. She was studying to become a secretary when she applied to Jasa Marga in 1996 after seeing an advertisement in the newspaper.

"The job looked so exciting to me I decided to apply," she said.

The job applicants were evaluated in eight categories, including physical condition, health and personality.

"We have to be friendly and have nice smiles because our job is serving customers."

Nani said no one else in her family worked for Jasa Marga. Her father is a businessman and her mother a housewife.

Declining to reveal how much she earned a month, Nani said the amount was more than enough to meet her needs. Reportedly the salary for a new employee is double the minimum wage set by the government.

She said that while overall she enjoys her job, she still runs across people who like to grumble or ridicule her.

But the benefits of the job far outweigh a few grumps, especially for Nani, who met her future husband, Rustami, an employee of the state-run electricity company PLN, while sitting in her booth.

When asked to recall their first meeting, sheepishly she said, "I had just been working for three months at the time I met my husband. I was still in Bandung then."

"Every day he passed through the toll gate where I worked. Then he told my friend that he wanted to meet me, and finally he left his name card, asking for me to call him. I never called him, though," Nani said.

Her friend, however, gave Rustami Nani's phone number and one day he called -- the two became involved in a long romance and they married in 1999.

When her husband moved to Jakarta some eight months ago, Nani followed him and now the couple live in a rented house in Pinang Ranti in East Jakarta, not far from the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah toll gate where she works.

"I am still able to shop in the morning and cook for my husband before I go to the office," she said, adding that she and her husband love to stroll around shopping malls during their days off.

What does she want for the future?

"I want to have a baby and a house of our own," Nani said with conviction.