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Shelters for online ‘ojek' needed, otherwise traffic further ensnarled
Out of three lanes, online ojek (motorcycle taxis) occupied two, leaving the other road users like cars, private motorcycles, taxis and Transjakarta buses to jostle for space in only one lane.
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Traffic is held up as app-based ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers wait to pick up passengers at Palmerah Station in Central Jakarta. (The Jakarta Post/Dhoni Setiawan )
T
he dependency Jakartans have on app-based ojek (motorcycle taxis) to commute, despite allowing people to use fewer private vehicles, has ensnarled traffic at numerous spots across the city, particularly near train stations or bus stops during busy hours.
After arrival at the closest station or bus shelter to their workplaces, many commuters opt to use the services of online ojek to reach their offices.
At 7 a.m. on Wednesday traffic near Palmerah Station in Central Jakarta was super busy. Under the pedestrian bridge south of the station were hundreds of online ojek drivers on motorcycles dropping off and picking up passengers.
Out of three lanes, the online ojek occupied two, leaving the other road users like cars, private motorcycles, taxis and Transjakarta buses to jostle for space in only one lane.
Among the online ojek drivers by the sidewalk was Paudin, who was waiting for a customer. He had arrived there and waited for about five minutes, but his customer had yet to show up.
“My customer apparently placed the order while she was one station away from here. She just got off the train now,” he said as he displayed the chat he was having with the customer on his phone.
“That is many people’s habit. They order the service while they are still on the train so that they would not have to wait for the ojek to pick them up. They can switch straight from train to ojek,” he said.
