Ride-hailing apps run Indonesian tuk-tuks off road

Yahoo - AFP, Mackenzie Smith, March 25, 2018

Ride-hailing apps like the Grab motorcyle-taxi seen here are denting the fortunes
of traditional three-wheeled bajaj taxis in Indonesia (AFP Photo/BAY ISMOYO)

Auto-rickshaw driver Zainuddin used to make decent money navigating Jakarta's congested roads and narrow alleyways.

But now US-based Uber, Google-backed Go-Jek and Singapore's Grab are locked in a race for ride-hailing app supremacy in Southeast Asia's biggest economy, denting the fortunes of traditional three-wheeled bajaj taxis that once ruled Indonesia's roads.

"Our income has fallen between 70 and 80 percent since ride-hailing apps came on the scene," said Zainuddin, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

There were some 14,000 bajaj on Indonesia's roads by 2015, according to the latest official figures.

By contrast, Go-Jek alone claims 900,000 drivers and some 15 million weekly active users. It launched in 2010.

Google and Singapore's sovereign wealth fund Temasek have announced investments in Go-Jek, which has been valued at as much as $5 billion although it's little known outside Asia.

Southeast Asia's ride-hailing market more than doubled in two years to some $5 billion in 2017 and it's expected to reach $20 billion by 2025, with Indonesia set to account for some 40 percent of it, according to research done by Google and Temasek.

Go-Jek, which also reportedly won funding from Chinese internet giant Tencent, has said it is mulling an initial public offering as it looks to grow in Indonesia and beyond.

That could inflate its army of motorcycle taxis, private cars and other services -- from massage and house cleaning to grocery shopping and package deliveries -- all available at users' fingertips.

Dragging behind its regional rivals, Uber is reportedly selling parts of its Southeast Asian operations to rival Grab in exchange for a stake in the Singaporean company.

No more haggling

The ride-hailing trio offer fixed-price rides that take haggling out of the equation, a welcome change for former bajaj customer Tetty Iskandar.

"I haven't taken a bajaj in years," said the 35-year-old housewife, who used to ride the three-wheelers to go grocery shopping.

"You had to bargain with the drivers to get cheap fares. And you would already have done bargaining a lot in the market. Sometimes I felt so tired and just wanted to get home."

The vast archipelago of some 260 million people has a relatively low per-capita car ownership rate.

For some, sitting in a tuk-tuk as it teeters and rumbles over Jakarta's roads offers

a connection to an older way of life (AFP Photo/BAY ISMOYO)

And vehicle owners often choose to leave their ride at home, opting instead for a fixed-price motorcycle that can zip through Jakarta's epic traffic congestion -- at a bargain-basement prices.

That is threatening bajaj -- not to mention regular cabs and ubiquitous motorbike taxis known as ojek -- which arrived in Indonesia during the 1970s.

The motorised rickshaw quickly made inroads under its namesake company, which hailed from India.

The name bajaj is now inked into Jakarta's lexicon after supplanting traditional bicycle taxis.

A distinctive blue model of the vehicle is still a common sight and while pollution-spewing older models are outlawed, some still ply the narrow alleyways of Indonesia's sprawling capital.

Government efforts to reduce traffic snarls by reintroducing bicycle taxis could further chip away at the market share of bajaj, which cannot operate on highways and certain busy streets.

'Nostalgic feeling'

Still, bajaj backers point out that the little tuk-tuks are safer than motorcycles which have higher injury and fatality rates.

"They are still a very useful means of transport when you have to go through small alleys and roads in Jakarta," said Danang Parikesit, president of the think tank Indonesia Transportation Society.

For some, sitting in a tuk-tuk as it teeters and rumbles over Jakarta's roads offers a connection to an older way of life.

"Riding bajaj has a unique sensation, a nostalgic feeling," said faithful customer Budiyanto.

In central Jakarta, bajaj line a curb, their drivers smoking or sleeping as swarms of motorbike drivers sporting Go-Jek or Grab windbreakers zip by on their way to collect customers.

Even if they wanted to switch to ride-hailing apps, it's too late for some older drivers.

"I cannot shift to an app-based motorcycle taxi because of my age," said driver Sutardi.

"Companies require that their drivers not be over 60."

Despite the threat of technology, some insist bajaj have a future, especially among customers who don't want to get soaked on the back of a motorbike or while waiting for a hired car during the months-long rainy season.

"Customers don't like to get wet," tuk-tuk driver Zainuddin said.

"It's not good for people when the rain comes, but bajaj drivers will be happy."

VIDEO: Auto-rickshaw drivers used to make decent money navigating Jakarta's congested roads and narrow alleyways. But now US-based Uber, Google-backed Go-Jek and Singapore's Grab are locked in a race for ride-hailing app supremacy in Southeast Asia's biggest economy pic.twitter.com/K0JkBB9GDZ

— AFP news agency (@AFP) March 25, 2018

Meet Mumbai's first women rickshaw drivers

Yahoo – AFP, Vishal MANVE, April 13, 2017

Authorities in Maharashtra State, of which Mumbai is the capital, has launched
 a scheme ensuring five percent of rickshaw permits go to women (AFP Photo/
PUNIT PARANJPE)

Mumbai (AFP) - Chaya Mohite slowly turns the accelerator as she carefully edges the salmon-coloured rickshaw forward, one of Mumbai's first female auto drivers to make use of a government scheme aimed at empowering women.

The 45-year-old was one of 19 women who recently started jobs ferrying passengers through the notoriously congested streets of India's financial capital in their new three-wheelers.

"This job is much better than doing household work. I can make more money and it helps us secure our futures," Mohite told AFP as she got in some last minute practice.

The mother of three has spent the past two months learning how to drive at a training centre in Mumbai's eastern suburbs and is thrilled with her new skills and financial prospects.

"I couldn't even ride a bicycle but today I can drive an auto rickshaw. I'm independent and it makes me happy," says Mohite, who hopes to earn 1,000 rupees ($15) a day.

Female drivers receive different colour rickshaws to the traditional black and 

yellow ones, to discourage male relatives from taking them. (AFP Photo/

PUNIT PARANJPE)

She is benefitting from a scheme introduced by the state government of Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital, that reserves five percent of rickshaw permits for women.

It announced the plan in early 2016, saying that 465 licences would be made available for women in Mumbai and the neighbouring district of Thane.

Unlike similar schemes in New Delhi and Ranchi, where some pink autos are driven by women for women as a safety initiative, the Maharashtra drivers take both male and female passengers.

'Ready to drive anywhere'

Services started in Thane last year but Mohite and her new colleagues, who will sport white lab-coat-like uniforms, are the first to ply the streets of India's most populated metropolis.

"I've taught them the A to Z of auto-rickshaw driving. They are now experts and have passed an official RTO (Regional Transport Office) test," Sudhir Dhoipode, the women's instructor, told AFP.

Dhoipode says he is currently teaching more than 40 women how to drive while around 500 others have expressed an interest in learning despite some community opposition in the conservative country.

"I couldn't even ride a bicycle but today I can drive an auto rickshaw. I'm 

independent and it makes me happy," one female driver says after taking part in

 a scheme to encourage more women taxi drivers in Mumbai (AFP Photo/

PUNIT PARANJPE)

"People mocked us for leaving our homes and choosing to drive rickshaws but we hope we can inspire other women to come forward and take advantage of this great initiative," said driver Anita Kardak.

Rickshaw permits are highly sought after in Mumbai and can be big business, with owners often renting them out for a fee or lending them to others when their shift has finished.

Transport officials say they decided the women should have a different coloured rickshaw to the ubiquitous black and yellow ones to stop male relatives from taking them over.

It has led to some fears the women will be at risk because they will stand out, but Mohite isn't concerned.

"I don't think there's going to be any safety issue as we're capable of looking after ourselves. Driving the rickshaw is a fun feeling and I'm ready to drive anywhere in Mumbai," she said.

Mumbai's first female auto rickshaw drivers take to the streets - part of a govt scheme aimed at empowering women https://t.co/0dQMc7Kha5 pic.twitter.com/YLisrQreXH

— AFP news agency (@AFP) April 13, 2017

Jakarta to Test Green Bajajs From Sweden

Jakarta Globe, Lenny Tristia Tambun, June 20, 2013

A Clean Motion Zbee vehicle. (Image courtesy of Clean Motion)

Fresh on the heels of the central government’s plan to offer incentives for the production of low-cost green vehicles, the Jakarta administration has expressed its interest in purchasing electric rickshaws from Sweden to replace the capital’s aging fleet, known as bajajs.

“Sweden has explained their electric bajajs, and we agree that they are better than the gas-powered models. Plus, the price is not too expensive,” Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki Tjhaja said on Wednesday.

Basuki said that he has asked the Swedish company that produces the electric bajajs, Clean Motion, to send the vehicles over to Jakarta so that city administrators could test them.

“They have to send some over so we can conduct tests. The company said it would deliver them this month, but it seems like they will arrive late,” he said.

Previously, Clean Motion said that it would launch its Zbee electric rickshaw to replace traditional 3-wheeled taxis in order to offer a more environmentall -friendly mode of transportation.

The company also announced its plan to manufacture Zbees in Indonesia by building a factory in East Java capable of producing up to 100,000 of the green vehicles annually.

Basuki said that he would let the people of Jakarta decide if they want to switch from the gas-powered bajaj to the electric Zbee.

According to the Jakarta Transportation Agency, there are 11,669 gas-powered bajajs officially registered with the city. Less than 3,000 of them are blue bajajs, which are powered by compressed natural gas (CNG).

Related Article:

Tax Break for Eco-Friendly Car Producers Now Official: Minister

Clean, green machines, or smoke and mirrors?

Deutsche Welle, 28 March 2013

On the streets Manila, electric-powered trikes are increasingly being used as the government tries to improve air quality. Environmentalists claim the trend does nothing to address the real issue of climate change.

Alfredo Forelo used to drive passengers through the streets of Mandaluyong City on a conventional old Manila "trike."

It's a motorcycle with an attached sidecar that can weave around traffic and - if need be - go up onto sidewalks. He is amongst the hundreds of thousands of drivers in the Manila metropolitan area who depend on trikes to earn a living.

"I've driven a trike for eight years," says 38-year-old Forelo. "Driving helps me support my wife."

While these old motorbikes are a cheap source of income for poor drivers, like Forelo, Manila's environment is paying the price.

According to the Asia Development Bank, trikes emit an estimated 3.8 tons of carbon dioxide each year. Exhaust fumes from trikes are one reason that the government regularly warns citizens about the capital's air quality, which it links to severe respiratory diseases. Forelo says he knows first hand about that. "I get sick a lot, like from asthma or I often catch a cold or the flu", he tells DW.

The older trikes are linked with
respiratory diseases

Breath of fresh air

But Forelo hopes those days are over. Four months ago, he traded in his gas powered trike for one that runs on a lithium ion battery. His "E-trike" is the prototype of a vehicle that the Asia Development Bank plans to mass produce and eventually replace the conventional motorcycles with. And, in turn, improve the Philippines' environment.

"Electric vehicles will play a very significant role in addressing climate change", says the Asia Development Bank's Sohail Hasnie, who heads the E-trike project. "The Philippines government spends billions on importing oil and there are a lot of inefficient ways this is used by trike drivers."

Hasnie adds that the benefits of E-trikes will be felt across the board. The government will save money and pedestrians and drivers will be able to breathe in cleaner air. The Asia Development Bank plans to put 100-thousand E-trikes on Manila's streets over the next five years.

But some environmental activists in the Philippines are not impressed by the E-trikes. Beau Baconguis, Philippines Project Manager at Greenpeace, claims these vehicles are merely substituting tailpipes for smoke stacks.

"When you plug in these hundreds of thousands of E- trikes, you will be using up a lot of electricity that is very dependent right now on coal," says Baconguis. "While the environmental impact is not direct, in terms of emissions, the emissions are coming from coal power plants when you charge your trikes."

Other observers claim the E-trike's lithium ion batteries are not a realistic energy alternative. "The problem with lithium ion batteries, they cost more and virtually zero after sale service in the country," says Red Constantino, director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities in Manila.

He says that at the moment, the lithium ion batteries can only be serviced overseas. "If one single cell breaks down, the whole battery goes kaput and there is no repair shop anywhere for such batteries."

Constantino adds that the $400-million loan the Asia Development Bank received from the Philippines government to fund the E-trike program, could have been put to better use. He says if officials really want to improve air quality, the government should improve Manila's infrastructure and make it a more pedestrian-friendly city.

"The best mode of transport is walking. If you have better sidewalks, people will walk more. Trikes encourage door-to-door transportation and they are traffic hazards," Constantino says.

A sunny solution

The Asia Development Bank's Sohail Hasnie counters the criticism of the environmentalists. He says even though E-trike drivers will depend on the power grid to recharge batteries, total carbon dioxide emissions will still be at least 40 percent lower with 100-thousand gas powered bikes off the streets.

Hasnie adds that his organization's project doesn't stop with just rolling out the E-trikes. The Asia Development Bank intends to build solar chargers and create an entirely local industry aimed at servicing the vehicles. And that will not only benefit the environment, but also the economy by creating jobs.

"Our project is bringing all these things in together," he says. As for driver Alfredo Forelo, he says he made the right decision to get rid of his old motorbike. He's saving money on gas and transporting more passengers with his E-trike.

"It's really easy to drive and more comfortable," Forelo says. And when asked if he'd ever go back to driving a gas-powered trike, he doesn't think twice about it. "No, not again."

Owners defy plan to free arteries from minibuses

The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA | Fri, 03/13/2009 12:09 PM  

Minibus operators are opposed to the city’s plan to ban the vehicles from entering the capital’s main thoroughfares, pointing out their incomes would be decimated. 

Situmorang, 43, a Metromini 640 minibus driver, said he was opposed to the ban because he stood to loose a big chunk of his income. 

“I work from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, but only earn a maximum of Rp 80,000 [US$6.60],” Situmorang, who has been driving the minibus for 20 years, said Thursday.

“The ban means I’ll get less [money], because almost all my passengers work at buildings or offices along the city’s main roads.”

The Metromini 640 serves the route between Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, and Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta. It passes down Jl. Gatot Subroto, Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Thamrin, which are among the busiest roads in the city.

According to Situmorang, more than 130 units of Metromini 640 currently run on the route. Every bus is operated by one, sometimes two, pairs of driver and bus crew.

Mamat, 40, the driver of a Kopaja 66 minibus, called the plan untimely.

“The prices of spare parts and car maintenance have soared recently,” he said.

“How can I afford it if I make less money?”

The Kopaja 66 plies the route between Blok M Terminal and Manggarai Terminal, both in South Jakarta. The bus runs across Jl. Sudirman, Jl. Gatot Subroto and Jl. Rasuna Said.

Mamat, who has been plying the route for 15 years, said he only managed a daily profit of Rp 50,000 after having to pay Rp 350,000 in rental fees to the owner of the bus.

“I don’t know what I’d do if the administration really banned us from operating on those busy streets,” he added.

On Wednesday, the Jakarta Transportation Agency said it would ban minibuses — Metromini and Kopaja — from entering the city’s main thoroughfares, in a bid to reduce traffic jams and maximize space for Transjakarta buses.

The affected minibuses include the Metromini 640, Kopaja 66, Kopaja 19 (Blok M—Tanah Abang) and Kopaja 620 (Blok M—Pasar Rumput, South Jakarta).

The agency said it would only allow large buses to pass down these streets, once the regulation came into effect, expected in 2010.

The minibuses owners, however, doubted the administration would stick to its guns, pointing out it had a long history of not implementing regulations fairly.

“The administration must ensure it implements the ban on all minibuses operators without exception,” said Ujang, the owner of 10 Metromini buses in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta.

“If all operators get the same treatment, I think we can be more cooperative in abiding by the regulation.”

Siagian, another Metromini owner, expressed similar sentiments.

“The administration must ensure the business competition remains fair,” he said.

Most minibuses owners in the city charge their drivers daily rental fees of between Rp 250,000 and Rp 300,000.

Last year, the Jakarta branch of the Land Transportation Owners Organization (Organda) estimated there were 60,000 public transportation vehicles in Jakarta.

Of that number, there were 4,200 large buses, 4,800 minibuses, 13,000 minivans, 23,300 taxis and 15,000 bajaj (three-wheeled taxis). (hwa)

Vendors hail safer market

The Jakarta Post ,  JAKARTA  |  Fri, 03/06/2009 10:37 AM 

Four months after the first raid on thugs by the police, street vendors, bajaj (three-wheeled taxis) and angkot (public minibus) drivers in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, say they now have a safer environment in which to conduct business.

Gangs of Jakarta: Several men suspected of being thugs are taken to the Jakarta Police’s detention center after being rounded up from several locations across the city. Police launched sweeps on thugs ahead of the upcoming elections. (JP/J. Adiguna)
 

Previously, vendors of bags and dresses along the sidewalk at Tanah Abang said they had to pay at least Rp 1,000 (8 US cents) to no less than 10 people a day.

And that did not include Sundays, when they were each forced to pay up Rp 30,000, says Ade, a street vendor selling ladies’ shirts in the area since 1980.

That made it a total of Rp 380,000 a month just from vendors of fashion merchandise such as hats, bags, shoes, shirts and dresses. Tanah Abang is a major trading center for textiles and textile products in the country, and even in Southeast Asia.

These were baseless, illegal fees demanded by preman, or hoodlums, roaming around the marketplace and bus terminal, spreading fear among vendors and drivers for years.

But thanks to a national war against thugs, launched by the National Police last November, traders no longer have to set aside money for those informal daily costs.

From Nov. 2, 2008, to Feb. 15, 2009, the police conducted 4,667 raids and netted 18,819 suspects. They released 16,218 people and detained the rest.

And the hoodlums haven’t returned since. At least, not all of them.

As Dedi, a bajaj driver, says, “Actually, some friends of mine still have trouble at other places, but it’s only one or two thugs a day. I personally don’t face that kind of threat any more, since the first raid [in November].”

He used to park his bajaj close to the sidewalk at the eastern end of Tanah Abang. 

When the hoodlums were still around, he had to pay Rp 1,000 to each one who demanded a “street fee” every time he picked up a customer on the streets in the neighborhood around Tanah Abang Market. Normally, he stopped in the area between five and eight times a day.

Such illegal fees ate away at his daily earnings and added to his burdens, since he already had to pay Rp 35,000 to the bajaj owner in daily rental fees.

“Actually, I pay the lowest fees because I ride the bajaj that’s in the worst condition, called the doyok,” Dedi says, adding other bajaj drivers paid up to Rp 50,000 in rental fees depending on the shape their vehicles were in. 

With more police officers on the streets now, Dedi says he no longer faces problems.

However, other unfortunate drivers still get bullied by thugs elsewhere, and do not dare to report the return of the thugs to the police.

“They fear that the few thugs still operating will hurt them.”

Etty, the owner of Etty Jaya shop, says things are different nowadays.

“Recently, we haven’t had to pay ‘protection money’. There are no more thugs,” she says.

She adds she now pays a security fee, included in the rental for her stall.

“Before the raids, we had to deal with those thugs, especially when no officers were around,” she says. “Currently, I know some thugs are still operating, but so far I haven’t seen them coming over to my shop.”

Rully, a street vendor who has been selling bags in the area for the past 10 years, recalled harder times when the thugs were ubiquitous there.

 Cluttered cluster: Shoppers navigate through tents belonging to street vendors at Tanah Abang Market in Central Jakarta on Thursday. Vendors say they now see fewer thugs, thanks to recent raids conducted by the police.(JP/P.J. Leo)

“I had to pay Rp 2,000, sometimes Rp 5,000, to each thug demanding protection money. I had to set aside at least Rp 20,000 a day just for that,” he recalls. “But now I’m relieved because no one comes around extorting fees anymore, ever since the raids.”

Although the thugs have disappeared, street vendors with no permits to ply their trade at the market, like Rully, still have another enemy No. 1: Public order officials.

“We prefer to play a cat-and-mouse game with them. We don’t open our stalls until noon, since the officials usually patrol the area in the mornings,” he says.

He adds if they do catch him, they often allow him to keep his merchandise.

“But they still take away my tent, which is worth Rp 300,000.”

Poniman, an angkot driver plying M11 Palmerah-Kebon Jeruk route, says he used to pay Rp 8,000 each time he entered the bus terminal.

“Running five trips a day, I had to pay Rp 40,000 a day,” he recounts. “That’s why many of us [drivers] opted not to enter the terminal.

“Now we don’t have this problem any more, except at some junctions such as in Slipi, where thugs take turns demanding Rp 500 from us. Just multiply that by 5 or 6 a day.” says Poniman, from Pacitan, East Java. 

Other public minivan drivers plying the same route are held up for Rp 115,000 to Rp 150,000 a day, he adds.

These are hard days for them, he says, because now they also face a drop in passenger numbers.

“In the past, we could find lots of people taking an angkot in the evenings. Now, many of them have switched to motorcycles.” (iwp)

Drivers await for greener 'bajaj'

Olivia Dameria, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 01/03/2009 10:32 AM  

The life of the smoke-belching bajaj (motorized pedicab) has been extended because its greener brother, the gas-powered bajaj has not taken over the city yet. 

The distribution of bajaj powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) has been hampered because of a government policy on tax. 

Despite setting a target to distribute 500 CNG-powered bajaj each month, the government issued a policy classifying the new bajaj as a luxury item, thereby increasing the tax for the units. 

"Previously, the tax for CNG bajaj was only 30 percent, now it is 45 percent because the government said the vehicle was imported from India and thus subject to another tax," said Henda Sunugroho, head of the traffic monitoring division at the Jakarta Transportation Agency. 

There is an additional 10 percent tax because it is classified as a luxury item, Henda said. 

Procedural hurdles to acquiring a CNG bajaj present further problems, forcing drivers to wait in uncertainty. 

"Six hundred units have been operating since June. An additional 50 units are unable to operate because of incomplete vehicle registration. We have 120 units in total still pending due to procedural technicalities," said Tariono, the head of the bajaj association in East Jakarta. 

Among the procedural hurdles is a required evaluation of each CNG tank, which is said to take at least three weeks. Obtaining licenses and other documentation regarding ownership present further barriers. 

The 120 are waiting for activation of their public transportation license, which is taking a long time, Tariono said. 

"We have been waiting for more than a month now. There are about 5,000 bajaj drivers in line to get a CNG bajaj," 

Some bajaj drivers have acquired the new vehicle. 

Rojat, a CNG bajaj driver, said the new vehicle was friendlier to the environment than the regular orange ones. He ordered five additional units in March 2007. 

"No smoke is emitted and the customers like that. They also like that the CNG bajaj is quieter," he said. 

CNG bajaj, therefore, are more competitive than the gasoline ones, he said. 

But the red tape has forced Rojat, other bajaj drivers and customers to wait. 

"It has been two years," said Syamsudin, a driver who has ordered an additional 17 CNG bajaj. 

The driver, who already possessed 13 CNG bajaj said customers preferred the new vehicles to the regular orange ones. 

"My friends enjoy driving CNG bajaj. Once they drive it, they don't want to drive the old bajaj," he said. 

Syamsudin said customers were ordering to be picked up by CNG bajaj, and because of the vehicle, he had collected more customers. 

"I was going to continue driving the old bajaj, but I changed my vehicle to the CNG bajaj because it is environmentally friendly," he said. 

Old bajaj squander a lot of fuel, which has become a concern for bajaj drivers. 

"My old bajaj uses 8 liters of gasoline each day," said Daroni, a bajaj driver who usually operates around Pasar Slipi, West Jakarta. 

"I really want to have a CNG bajaj, but I heard the procedure to acquire it is rather exhausting." 

Tariono said he objected to the government's classification of the new bajaj which meant it was subject to a luxury tax. 

"It doesn't make sense that a three-wheeled vehicle with a canvas roof be classified as a luxury item," he said. "A bajaj is not a train, bus or car. 

"The government wants us to support the Blue Sky Program, yet they make it hard for us to get the CNG bajaj." 

The Blue Sky Program is an environmental conservation program that was launched in Indonesia in 1996. 

The aim of the program is to reduce air pollution in several big cities, including Jakarta, across the country.