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Commuters feel pinch of ‘ojek’ price hike
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Hundreds of motorcycle taxi drivers rally in front of the South Sumatra Council on April 23 to demand an increase in fares. (Antara/Feny Selly)
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ministerial decree setting a price floor for ojek (motorcycle taxi) services offered through smartphone apps has prompted complaints from commuters, who say they are beginning to feel the pinch of the regulation that went into effect on May 1.
Twenty-eight-year-old Jakarta resident Norma said she had to pay more to get to work since the increase. “Usually, it only cost me Rp 7,000 [50 US cents], but now it has become Rp 10,000,” she said, adding that she didn’t have a long way to travel.
The price hike has prompted her to consider the public minivan as an alternative, which would take more of her time because of the longer route but would reduce her transportation expenses.
Fauziah Astrid, a frequent online ojek user from Makassar, said she was now resorting to a combination of walking, public transportation or hitching a ride with a friend for the 14-kilometer trip from her home to her workplace at a university. She said she used to pay Rp 25,000 – Rp 27,000 but now had to fork out Rp 37,000.
The Transportation Ministry implemented the decree on minimum fares in five cities to begin with, namely Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surabaya and Makassar. The decree was issued after a series of protests from online ojek drivers, who said the prices were too low to ensure their welfare.
Under the decree, the minimum fare for online ojek services differs between three zones. In the first zone, which includes Sumatra, Bali and Java (excluding Greater Jakarta), the price floor has been set at Rp 1,850 per kilometer and the price ceiling at Rp 2,300.
In the second zone, Greater Jakarta, meanwhile, the price range is set at Rp 2,000 – Rp 2,500 per km. Rides will be most expensive in the third zone, which includes Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara, Maluku and Papua, where the price range is set at Rp 2,100 – Rp 2,600.
