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Cab drivers rally to protest ride-hailing apps in Surakarta
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Stand for the rights: Hundreds of drivers of conventional taxis stage a rally at the Gladag traffic circle in Surakarta, Central Java, on Tuesday. (JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi)
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s many as 500 conventional taxi drivers from six companies across Surakarta held a rally at the Gladag traffic circle on Tuesday to protest the existence of app-based taxi services in the city.
The drivers deem the ride-hailing services a threat to their livelihood.
“Our income has dropped from Rp 200,000 [US$14.93] a day to Rp 50,000. We see them as illegal operators but the Surakarta administration has not done anything to resolve this,” rally coordinator Tri Teguh said.
He further said the unwillingness of the Surakarta administration to resolve the issue had caused the number of ride-hailing operators in the city to reach 300 from just 10 at the beginning of the year.
Tuesday’s rally was a follow-up to a similar protest that occurred two months ago during which conventional taxi drivers staged a rally in front of Surakarta City Hall and demanded that the city administration to take tougher actions against companies that employ ride hailing apps.
Surakarta Mayor FX Hadi “Rudy” Rudyatmo met the protesters and said his administration fully supported them. However, he said it was the authority of the Central Java administration to regulate online transportation apps.
“The Surakarta administration can only facilitate a meeting with the governor,” Rudy said. (kuk/ebf)
