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Bus drivers think ‘telolet’ ban a killjoy
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Several passengers prepare to get on some buses at the Pulo Gebang bus station in East Jakarta on Tuesday. (Warta Kota/Feryanto Hadi)
Intercity bus drivers think that the plan to ban telolet, a custom horn that has become a worldwide topic, is a killjoy.
“Perhaps those who say telolet should be banned do not have many friends, they don’t socialize enough,” said Sukanta, 48, a bus driver serving the Jakarta-Bogor route, as quoted by Warta Kota.
He said on Thursday a horn should only be banned if it violated the law. According to Government Regulation No. 55/2012 on vehicles, horns should not exceed 118 decibels and should not disturb other drivers.
(Read also: 'Om Telolet Om' unsafe to do on public roads: Transportation Ministry)
Sukanta himself did not install the telolet horn and he said most bus horns were on average 117 to 118 decibels.
A bus driver, Harwin, 37, had his custom horn examined by the Transportation Agency. The horn had to be uninstalled because the sound was too loud.
On the other hand, the Transportation Ministry has a plan to hold an “Om Telolet Om” contest.
Bagyo, 34, a bus driver serving the Surakarta-Jakarta route, welcomed the idea.
“It’s good for bus drivers to wind up, to distract us from boredom,” he said. Surakarta to Jakarta can take at least eight hours in good traffic.
“At first, I was puzzled. What were these children doing on the side of the road? It turns out they only asked me to honk. I think it’s good to help me deal with the boredom and the long hours of driving,” Bagyo said. (evi)
