We are rally instincts to choose a taxy

A taxi passenger reported to the police last week she had been robbed by a group of three men inside a taxi owned by a reputable taxi company. The news has renewed concerns over safety for taxi users. The Jakarta Post asked residents what precautions they took while taking a taxi.

Ahn Ali, 43, is a Korean lecturer who has been living in the city since 1985. He travels by taxi on the weekend:

Nowadays, people must be extra careful even when taking a taxi; once the most reliable means of transportation. Even the reliable taxi firm has many copycats, in terms of its features.

We passengers must look carefully and choose and sometimes use our instincts.

I still think the safest way to take a taxi is to order by phone, because we will know beforehand the number of the taxi we are going to take and can inform our family.

And sometimes, taking a taxi which is known to be more expensive is better as they have a good reputation.

Ismail, 42, is a taxi driver with a company that has a bad reputation. He lives in a rented house in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta:

I work almost every day, over 12 hours a day, to feed my family who now live in my hometown in West Sumatra.

I often drive at night, bracing the cold and the possibility of being robbed and murdered, even by passengers.

I know that few people take my taxi, because of the name it bears. Indeed, some of my colleagues manipulate the meter so the passengers have to pay more or intentionally take a longer route, but not all of us are like that.

I cannot make my passengers trust me, because I myself cannot tell whether the person who sits next to me or behind me is not a maniac.

But for the passengers' comfort, I always tell them to lock the doors.

-- The Jakarta Post