Victim of hoodlums

Victim of hoodlums

From Bisnis Indonesia

On Dec. 2, I took a Blue Bird taxi -- No A493 -- from Slipi to
Plaza Indonesia via Kebon Kacang area.

When we were in the heavily-congested Jl. Tanah Abang, three
men, all wearing hats, rapped on the window near the driver,
trying to force it open.

Instead of keeping the window shut tight, the driver
immediately opened the window and let the people rob me. One of
them threatened me, saying: "Give us a hundred! Hurry! Do you
want to die? You want to be safe or not!" Feeling scared, I gave
him Rp 1,000 but that made them furious. One of the robbers
demanded Rp 100,000 and my bag along with its contents. I told
him that there was nothing in it and I didn't have anything left.
The robbers didn't care and even asked for more. They tried to
put their hands through the window to open the door lock so that
they could get in and more freely rob me.

Unfortunately, the taxi driver did nothing while I attempted
to avoid the robbers unlocking the door. They did manage to open
the door but, luckily, I closed it again.

During the frightening minutes, I gave them Rp 100,000 in the
hope that they would go but they didn't. They continued to
threaten me until I had given them Rp 500,000. This incident
ended when the traffic jam cleared and the taxi started to move.
I felt shocked and sad. I could only cry. What would have
happened if the robbers had managed to open the taxi door? What
would have happened to me if they had brought knives and attacked
me?

I am really disappointed with the taxi driver who did nothing
to help me. This incident occurred because the driver had opened
the window so that the robbers could put their hands into the
taxi. The driver had done so, most probably, because he was
afraid that the hoodlums would damage his taxi if their demands
were not met, which would mean having to fork out his own money
for the repairs. Apparently, the Blue Bird management teaches its
drivers to place its taxis safety over that of its passengers.

What Blue Bird needs from its passengers is only money. It
does not seem to be concerned about its passengers' lives.
Therefore, I conclude that no taxis are safe for passengers in
the capital city. As for Blue Bird, its reputation as a safe and
reliable company is a farce.

R. RELISTYA

Jakarta