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'Ojek' driver uses internet to move into fast lane
At busy intersections, housing complexes or outside shopping centers in Jakarta, one often sees men, of various ages, dressed in worn-out shirts, sitting on motorcycles and waving their hands at any pedestrian that walks by
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At busy intersections, housing complexes or outside shopping centers in Jakarta, one often sees men, of various ages, dressed in worn-out shirts, sitting on motorcycles and waving their hands at any pedestrian that walks by.
FAST TRACK: Ojek driver Arman rides his motorcycle with loyal customer, Handono. (JP/R. Berto Wedhatama)
They are ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers, and when they ride, most of them will use whatever means possible to get to the destination as fast as possible.
But an ojek driver in Bintaro, South Jakarta, named Arman looks and operates in style.
He dons a dark blue jackets, wears purple shades, sports polished leather shoes and drives carefully. Unlike most ojek drivers, Arman offers his services through an Internet blog where visitors can find his contact number.
Before becoming an ojek driver, Arman worked as a telephone operator and an office boy for a company in Jakarta. The company terminated his contract a year ago.
He was 32, had no job and only a motorcycle in his possession. Not wanting to rely on anyone and facing difficulties job-hunting, the high school graduate decided to become an ojek driver.
Many Jakartans use ojek for fast transportation through the congested metropolitan streets. He saw that the market for the service was always available, but he also knew that competition was stiff.
During the first few months, like many other ojek drivers, Arman decided to wait for passengers at one of the ojek terminals near his home in Bintaro, but he faced bullying from senior ojek drivers there because he was new to the profession.
"I felt isolated. So I moved away from the terminal and just looked for customers near my home," Arman told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
With only two or three customers each day, the single man found it difficult to support himself. Arman knew if he returned to the terminal he would have to face more bullying. The situation forced him to find other means to promote his services and he tried the Internet.
"I posted a small classified ad on a free advertising websites on the Internet. I was just giving it a try, turned out I had three calls from customers," he said
One of his first customers, Handono, works as an IT consultant. He found Arman's classified while searching for ojek driver services in the Bintaro area using Google three weeks ago.
"My motorcycle was down. The nearest ojek terminal from my home is a kilometer away. I tried my luck by searching for ojek services on Google. After a couple of search result pages, I found Arman's advertisement and gave him a call," Handono said.
The next morning, Arman arrived on time at Handono's house. Handono said he was very surprised to see the ojek driver because he was very well-dressed.
"I thought he would be dirty and smelly like most ojek drivers, but not only is he well-dressed, he drives very carefully," Handono said.
Impressed with Arman's services, Handono then offered Arman another method to enhance his online promotion.
"I told him that his ad was hard to find using Google. It would be more effective to build a website, so I made him a blog site," he said.
Handono finished creating Arman's blog last week, posting an article on the advantages of using an ojek and Arman's contact number in the blog.
After the blog was created, Arman said, he had more customers calling for his services, especially from the Bintaro area. Arman earns between Rp 5,000 (US$5) to Rp 15,000 for a one-way trip.
"Now I have loyal customers, including mothers who want their children to be taken to school safely. They pay me in advance for a month of services. On average, I charge Rp 150,000 per month for per child," he said.
Handono also posted information about Arman's services and blog on Indonesia's largest Internet forum, Kaskus. After the posting on Kaskus, the number of hits Arman's blog received increased significantly, Handono said.
"I posted the link on Kaskus, there were at least 100 visitors in just an hour," he said.
He said he and Arman became good friends.
"I just wanted to help because I saw there was a man who was jobless and tried to work hard but the circumstances were all against him because of the bullying.
But he never gave up and tried to innovate by using the Internet. I have the skills and pleased with his services, so I said to myself, 'why not?'," he said.
"We run this ojek blog in a serious but fun way. In the future, I hope the blog will not only provide services in Bintaro, but will also build an Internet network of ojek drivers in Jakarta, so that every ojek driver in various areas can offer their services like Arman," Handono added. (hdt)
Four tips to choose a good ojek driver:
1. The rider's countenance.
Friendly faces with a smile are preferable to scary ones.
2. Motorcycle condition.
A relatively new motorcycle will ensure customer safety and convenience during the ride. A good braking system always comes in handy to avoid collision with other vehicles.
3. Choose a rider wearing a helmet.
A responsible ojek driver will always obey the rules and put safety above all else. A rider who refuses to wear a helmet will be more likely get caught by the police.
4. Age.
An older driver will have more wisdom and experience serving their customers. Younger drivers tend to use ojek to channel their speeding desires, earning money at the same time.
Source: http://ojekbintaro.blogspot.com
