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Postings on social media briefly inspire charity in the city
Amid the mounting popularity of mobile application-based ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers and their ensuing rivalry with those of traditional ojek, an old man has attracted widespread sympathy after he offered his services at âsincerely acceptableâ rates to customers
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mid the mounting popularity of mobile application-based ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers and their ensuing rivalry with those of traditional ojek, an old man has attracted widespread sympathy after he offered his services at 'sincerely acceptable' rates to customers.
As stories about his 'pleasant' service went viral on social media over the past few weeks, 65-year-old Sustiarno Soleh, a conventional ojek driver based in Palmerah, West Jakarta, has found himself inundated with orders.
'Thank God. These days, my hand phone has never stopped ringing,' said Soleh, who has been an ojek driver for around 10 years, at his post last week.
Although he now received dozens of requests from his customers daily, Soleh said, he could only accept some of them, prioritizing short-distance trips due to his physical condition.
'I'm too old,' said Soleh, who leaves his house in Sawangan, Depok, West Java, for Palmerah every day to seek passengers, adding that he now only served a slightly higher number of customers compared to previous days.
Every day, Soleh said, he only carried around four passengers and received around Rp 60,000 (US$4.21) at the most. While his fellow drivers, he added, could reap up to Rp 250,000 daily after serving six to seven customers.
'I've resigned my fate to God, who determines everybody's livelihood. There would be no end if I always looked for money,' Soleh said.
The old man stole the spotlight after Dewi Rachmayani, an employee with a private company, took to her Facebook account to share her experience of taking Soleh's ojek, saying that unlike some traditional ojek drivers, he was reluctant to insist on a set fare for his service.
'It's up to you, Miss. As long as you're sincere,' she quoted Soleh in her post, which had been shared by more than 55,000 people last week, recalling Soleh's response when she asked how much money she had to pay him.
When further pressed to name an exact price, Dewi said, Soleh instead asked her if Rp 20,000 would be too much for such a journey, during which he took her from Palmerah train station to her office in Mega Kuningan business district, South Jakarta.
Dewi's post about her 'touching' experience with Soleh, who eventually received Rp 150,000 from her, later drew attention from netizens, with most of them conveying moral support and praying for him.
Stories shared on social media about underprivileged residents who inspire a feeling of charity among netizens have been enjoying a lot of shares between users.
Last year, a posting about a 'pretty' seller of gethuk (cassava cake) on a crossing bridge in Jakarta went viral.
The seller, Ninih, not only attracted more customers for a while but she was even featured in several popular reality shows on TV.
Other somewhat less popular postings about, for example, a single mother who sold crackers in front of a pharmacy, have drawn a lot of likes on Facebook. Users would often go find the seller and buy from her after such postings.
University of Indonesia sociologist Imam Prasodjo, however, has warned that actions like those of Dewi will only have a minuscule impact that will merely last for a moment.
'It is likely to bring changes to Pak Soleh's daily life. But to help others like him, a concerted, ongoing movement is needed,' he said. (alm)
