Dear Taxi Providers
Tuesday, March 22 was a historic day when people were hardly using public transportation, online and offline. Sadly it was also a day when the biggest taxi provider shattered its positive image into dust thanks to anarchist acts of its drivers when they were trying to speak up about their job and the online-app-based public transportation.
There was a point about why netizen would not want to use its service anymore, aside of the anarchist acts. One point about how we want the drivers (especially taxi) to have wide knowledge about the streets. Strangely I was reading an article from Reader's Digest Asia March 2016 edition titled "Street Smart London Cab Drivers". This article is what we hoped our nation's taxi drivers to have and our nation's taxi providers to do - have drivers that pass the street knowledge.
The article itself told us how you have to pass The Knowledge, the demanding test of London's back streets and landmarks that confronts anyone who wishes to join the elite ranks of London's cab drivers. Yes, the elite ranks of London's cab drivers. Oh how I wish our taxi drivers could learn a thing or two about this. If we had this system we wouldn't have any complaints about how incompetent our taxi drivers were. It wouldn't restrict the number of taxi drivers because in this article, a lot of people are interested to join, locals and non-locals, also from varied occupations. All you need aside of driving license is passing The Knowledge and you are good to go. Most people who passed the test were proud and somehow turned very emotional when received the coveted green-and-gold badge. I was thinking 'why wouldn't we have this?' and I know Jakarta streets are more complicated than London but I do hope we can come up with The Knowledge Jakarta version just so we can improve our public transportation system, especially taxi.
Back to the historic event, the day after Blue Bird group has a free fare taxi ride as an apology to public. I saw lots of taxis were occupied but I didn't see any taxi stayed at their spots in malls. I didn't know the explanation to this so I do hope if anyone knows please put it on the comment box below.
To the question 'to ride or not to ride' I myself am not a regular user of taxi. I use bus more than taxi and sometimes I drive myself. Taxi has never been my option since how high the fare is at the moment. I remember the days the fare started at IDR 2,000 and now the fare started at IDR 7,500. Seeing the price now and their service I don't see any improvement. All I see is the price matters to gasoline price over the improvement of service. How I wish it could matter for both.
Talking about mobile app, both big taxi providers have their apps before the jump of online-app-based transportation. I remember using Blue Bird's app on my old Blackberry and it didn't do well. Before they pointing out fingers to online-based competitors they should just fix themselves first. Pointing fingers do no good and you've let your image down in exactly ONE day. How to fix your image? Stop pointing fingers and looking like you had nothing to do with your drivers on March 22. If I remember correctly your stock was down before March 22. Was it wrong to think this riot was your trial to up your stock? I don't mean to ruin your already ruined image. All I'm saying is get your act together, stop blaming competitions and improve your quality. Someone please establish The Knowledge Jakarta version and apply this to every public transportation drivers, especially taxi. All for the better public transportation so less people using their own personal vehicles.
