Evilita Adriani, a fourth-semester student at a private university, says that instead of looking for a job once she obtains her degree, she would rather focus on the startup ojek (motorcycle taxi) business she has established with a friend at the university.

Evilita and Reza Zamir started Ojek Syar'€™i in March in Surabaya, East Java, with herself as the first driver of the new service. However, she said the number was growing and as many as 200 drivers had been registered for their newly opened Greater Jakarta branch.

'€œTwo hundred in Greater Jakarta, of whom 79 are from Depok [West Java]. Alhamdulillah [thank God] Ojek Syar'€™i has got a positive response,'€ she said.

Syar'€™i in Islam means to adhere to religious rules and as the name suggests, every driver is a female in a headscarf.

'€œWe also only pick up female passengers because the business aims at serving women who feel uncomfortable riding a motorcycle with a strange man,'€ she said, adding that for security reasons Ojek Syar'€™i was only available for order between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

The female drivers aged between 18 and 40, wait for instructions from the Ojek Syar'€™i operator to pick up a passenger. The orders come via its contact number or by BlackBerry Messenger. The drivers usually get three orders per day, with 30 percent of their earnings going to the management.

'€œWe have expanded to Sidoarjo and Malang in East Java, and Greater Jakarta. We are also discussing the possibility of operating in Aceh and other cities outside Java,'€ she continued.

Evilita said the company was currently looking into the possibility of having its own mobile-phone application.

Given Jakarta'€™s infamous congestion and lack of efficient public transportation, ojek can be found almost on every street corner of the capital, although the transportation mode is not regulated in the 2009 law on traffic and land transportation.

The rising popularity of ojek ride-hailing apps such as Go-jek and GrabBike has inspired others to start their own ojek businesses.

Andri Harsil who works with a television company said that he and his wife had started an ojek business called bangjek in early 2014 with initial capital of Rp100 million (US$7,220) to purchase motorcycles and other equipment, including taximeters for each motorcycle.

'€œNot only taximeters, we also provide free Wi-Fi and mobile phone charging for our passengers,'€ Andri told The Jakarta Post.

Having only five drivers, Andri said he did not have any intention of competing with other ojek businesses as he had his own loyal customers who placed orders by phone, WhatsApp, BlackBerry Messenger and Line mobile applications.

He said he had not raised fares since he started the bangjek operation. Customers of bangjek are charged a starting fare of Rp 4,000 for the first kilometer and an additional Rp 3.4 for every meter traveled.

'€œI am currently discussing the possibility of expanding as there is a party who would like to invest in it,'€ he said.

For thousands of traditional ojek drivers trying to make a living in Jakarta, each day is a struggle as they watch their customers abandon them for the ride-hailing apps.

However, Aisha Shaidira is one of the few people who are not affected by the fast-paced technological development.

She believed the hospitality she received from Toni, her regular ojek driver, could not be replaced by
the current trend. Working in an office in West Jakarta, Aisha said most of her workmates also used Toni'€™s service.

'€œHe is always nice to me and other people in my office, who often call him when they need a ride, and he doesn'€™t set unreasonable fares for his service,'€ she said.

Popular

Great Barrier Reef hit by record bleaching

Govt to undo latest curbs on personal imports

Middle East on edge as Israel and Iran trade threats