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