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Once ‘king of the streets’, Metro Mini buses suffer slow demise
In their heyday, Metro Mini buses were known for their reckless drivers, who drove at high speeds and changed lanes erratically, resulting in a number of fatal crashes.
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Metro Mini buses line up at the Blok M bus terminal in South Jakarta. (Antara Photo/Rivan Awal Lingga)
With the Jakarta administration now implementing its plan to phase out the city’s old, rickety public buses, Metro Mini buses, once known as “the king of the streets”, have been slowly disappearing, with people now able to enjoy a greater variety of public transportation options.
Only one Metro Mini bus could be seen waiting for passengers at the Pasar Minggu bus terminal in South Jakarta on Thursday morning, amid a crowd of angkot (public minivan) and Damri airport buses.
The driver of the faded yellow and blue Metro Mini bus, Ujang, 28, inspected the bus before departing. The low number of passengers no longer surprised him, as he knew the buses were in the crosshairs of the Jakarta administration.
“We were given a 12-month deadline to replace our buses but with our current livelihood we don’t know if we can do it,” he said.
“But we believe the public still needs Metro Mini services.”
He recalled that back in the day, when operating the bus on the Pasar Minggu to Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, route he could net Rp 350,000 (US$25.09) a day back, but that nowadays he considered himself lucky to pocket Rp 200,000. Most days, he collects Rp 50,000.
A 2014 bylaw on public vehicles stipulates that only buses that have been in operation for less than 10 years are allowed on the city’s streets.
