Supply and demand play a key role in the abundance of app-based ojek (motorcycle taxis) at Manggarai Station in South Jakarta, as app-based ojek are a popular transportion option for commuters continuing their journey from the station, a recent study has revealed.

A study conducted by a group of volunteers called Rame Rame Jakarta (Hustle and Bustle Jakarta) showed the growth of app-based ojek was organically created by demand from commuters and drivers’ response to tap the profit potential.

Of the 103 app-based ojek drivers in Manggarai Station surveyed by the group, over 80 percent wait at the station for customers every day, especially during rush hours.

Some 78.8 percent of the drivers said they chose Manggarai because of the abundance of customers at the station. Additionally, 58.8 percent of drivers opted to wait for passengers at small shops near the station while 15.5 percent waited at an ojek station while another 15.5 percent waited on the side of the road.

The drivers’ presence has also contributed to the emergence of small businesses in the area such as small shops selling food and coffee, helmet washing services and small workshops for motorcycles, according to the study.

Rame Rame Jakarta cofounder Andesha Hermintomo said the research wanted to show how public spaces such as Manggarai Station had not been designed to adapt to the rise of app-based ojek and growing demand from commuters who preferred to use the services instead of other modes of transportation.

“The drivers said they chose Manggarai because of the high demand there and even those who are from other areas of Jakarta choose to wait at Manggarai for customers,” Andesha told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

He said if app-based ojek were not taken into account in city planning, it could create urban problems that were not all caused by the drivers.

“The drivers themselves have evolved from conventional to app-based ojek or moved from other fields of work to become drivers. What they want is to be recognized, such as how their rights as a transportation supplier should be acknowledged and protected [by the government],” Andesha said.

The number of drivers waiting for passengers had also caused traffic congestion, which some say is not entirely their fault as there were no specific spaces provided for them.

Passengers often prefer to continue their commute with app-based ojek as they say it is more convenient than using other modes of public transportation.

Entrepreneur Ningrum, 31, regularly switches trains to transit at Manggarai on her commute from Buaran Station in Cakung, East Jakarta, to Grogol, West Jakarta.

“But if I have to wait too long I will use an app-based ojek,” Ningrum said on Friday.

Using app-based ojek was an easy and affordable mode of transportation for her that she could order through her smartphone. Although she acknowledged that the Transjakarta bus network had improved over the years, she was still reluctant to use it over her fear of pickpockets.

Despite running an online makeup shop from home, she regularly used the commuter line whenever she had business to attend to in the city, she said.

Graphic designer Ida Bagus Heidi, 22, who regularly commutes from Depok, West Java, to his office in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, also prefers ride-hailing services when continuing his trip.

“It’s more convenient if I just order an app-based ojek from the station because it’s a lot easier than walking to the nearest Transjakarta bus station,” he said, adding that he did not mind spending Rp 20,000 (US$1.42) on app-based ojek that would get him to his destination faster, despite the lower fares offered by other public transportation providers.

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