#transcab

[dssolutionssg]

What is this driver trying to do? #transcab #taxi #grabsg #ubersg

[mylifejakarta]

Taxis in Jakarta

Some information about Taxis in Jakarta, some rules and some things to know. So here is a list Bluebird Express Gamya Putra TransCab TaxiKu Koperasi Dian Indah Family Diamond Borburdor Indo Taxis Taxi Cab Mersindo Royal City PrimaJasa Silver Bird Tiara White Horse And I am sure some that I have forgotten or look so dangerous I have not mentioned them. But those are pretty much the bulk of the taxi companies in the city. I have also broken the list into segments to help you understand how I have rated them. The top list is contains all the taxis I take on a frequent basis. The next list is some I will take if there are none from the top list. The next lot well, I would rather walk. That leaves Silver Bird etc which are premium taxis and the ones we all would like if we could afford it. Bluebird - blue taxis with a white sign on the car roof., costs the most as higher fees, start at 6,000 rupiah. In my experience, some drivers like to go slow, take longer routes and try to rip you off however on the whole the drivers are polite and the cars are well looked after. The drivers never fall asleep which is nice. Most Indonesians prefer this taxi. If you are new it is your best bet. Bluebird also has fleet called Pusaka Lintas which are fine as well. Becareful when hailing a blue taxi as there are many others that copy the colour and sign which makes life more interesting and they will rip you off. All other taxis carry a sticker saying 'Tarif Lama' which means the old price. This starts at 5,000 rupiah and goes up in 180 amounts. Express - White with a yellow sign. Friendly knowledgeable drivers. Drive quickly. Most drivers are trust worthy. Gamya - Green Nissans with white roof signs, I say this as nearly every other taxi in this list is a Toyota Limo. Pretty decent drivers, seem to know their way around. Cars are clean. Some drivers are sleepy. Putra - Old Blue Protons with yellow roof signs. There are new cars. Drivers are honest and know their way around. The meter is normally on the floor so it is not easy to see what the price is. But they are reliable. TransCab - Orange Protons with Yellow Roof sign. TV monitors on the headrests. Drivers polite and cheerful. Never had a problem with Transcab TaxiKu - Yellow with white signs. Will pay the tolls to the airport for you. Not my favourite as the last couple of times I have taken one of these the driver got lost, was rude, fell asleep or was chatting on his phone. But if you have to, they are ok. Then Koperasi -currently upgrading from green and orange protons which are about 50 years old to white Limos. I dont mind them. The drivers often are very sleepy as they work all the time but I have never been ripped off by them. In an emergency no worries. Dian - Great fun in old white Toyotas with Diane signs on the roof and a blue stripe along the side. Often the AC does not work but the drivers seem happy. Never had a bad experience well not many. Again in an emergency.... Below. As I rule I would not take these as they do not appear to be that big companies and the stories from others have not been supportive of them therefore in my mind that means danger and huge cost. Indah Family - Might still be blue if still about. Were ok. Don't know now. Diamond - have a licence to run from T3 at the airport. Would rather walk Borburdor - No Indo Taxis - No Sepakat - No Taxi Cab - Never taken perhaps never will Mersindo - very few about Royal City - Light blue, never taken PrimaJasa - Same as the bus company. Used once, ok but there are not a lot them about so not too sure. If you have money Silver Bird Tiara White Horse All are luxury cabs and come with premium prices. Silver Bird use black Mercedes or Toyotas The bigger hotels have them hanging around. Tiara are from Express and use Alphas. So a big van with windows. There a few always at Plaza Semanggi. White Horse. New to me, I think using big black Hyudais'. That is all I can say about them. Some rules. Becareful when you flag them down as from a distance they all look the same as a rule (remember most are white or blue toyotas) Insist the driver locks the doors. Insist the meter is on Sit in the back behind the front passenger seat as it allows you to see what is going on. Be aware of where you are and where you need to go. Look lost and frightened and be prepared to go on a long trip. If you cant pronounce the name of where you need to go, don't expect to get there quickly. Understand the driver may not know where he is or where to go as the city is big and if it is to a new mall or area the driver may not know it. For Tolls have money ready. The driver will pay and then either keep the change for another toll booth or give it back. If you only carry 100,000 notes don't expect the driver to be able to break them. Tolls are good for that. Always carry low denomination notes so it will be easier than asking for change as sometimes drivers dont have any. If the driver is fasting or it is either first thing in the morning or late at night, keep an eye on him as he might fall asleep. If you fall asleep you might find you be paying more. If you are stuck in a taxi when the rains have flooded. Either get out and get wet or take the risk of paying an awful lot. If you need to book a taxi, Blue bird are the easiest to arrange and the most reliable. From the airport you have to pay the tolls, a surcharge and then the normal fair. Make sure the ride is on the meter. For me from the airport to Central Park it is 11,000 extra so it costs about 80,000. It is hard to give costs from here to there as it will depend on the route, the driver, the car, the weather, the traffic and so sometimes it is cheaper or more expensive. However for a 30 minute ride expect to pay a minimum of 40,000 average. Drivers dont like short trips and so may refuse to take you or set a price. Over the years I have been here. I consider nearly all taxis I have taken have been safe and reliable. Apart from one driver crashing when he fell asleep and having to change the wheel with him or the odd occasion getting lost I have found the taxis here no bother. With everything in life just becareful.

[mylifejakarta]

Beer is good

Well we are a few more days toward 2010 and that sounds very exciting. In fact I have a lot to look forward to. Christmas, a new bike, a new year here, the excitement of travelling and the unknown for 2010. Bali and Lombok all sorted. Next is New Years eve. I need 2 things, a hotel and enough phone credit to phone England and be drunk down the phone at midnight here and 5pm there. Fantastic.... I have been enjoying a few beers in the evening for a while and I must say it does help me sleep and it also calms the nerves a little. However that is all it does.  I have slowed down a lot from my old drinking pace and I now just have one or two and thats it. I save the big ones for a night out away from the city and where I party out at night which is good. Thailand was bit and Bali too and therefore Bali and Lombok lovely. Also with the gym it makes no sense to drink and then work out. Apart from it being unhealthy it is also pointless. However with a change in schedule I have not really been able to hit the running machine. The rainy nights dont help either as all I want to do it go home and dry out. Sunday was paintball day and that involved going to Tangerang by taxi and then shooting old friends in the back at close range. I went with Rob from my school and we were joining the teachers from Cengkareng. Due to a lack of cars, we took a taxi. We were supposed to go with Steve the DoS from there but his wife is still recovering from Dengue and so he could not go. We took a Transcab and once we told him how to get to the toll it was ok. Then once we travelled down the toll to Serpong, BSD we got lost. Mainly because we took the new road and I had never been down there before. So we drove to Bintaro, turned round and then headed back to BSD. Having no pulsa and Rob getting the least amount of help from the boys from Cengkareng we finally after an hour and a half found the place. It cost over 100k to get there. Not impressed. England vs the rest of the world (mainly the US and the office boys from Cengkareng, meant 3 vs 5) but thats ok as the odds were in our favour. It was only 88k to play for as long as we like and then extra paintballs were 32k a bag which is great. So in combats and safety googles we locked and loaded and wandered into trees. The games simple. Stay alive. Now that could have been from the mosquitos or not from being shot. I took a direct shot to the eye but the googles saved my sight and then a few paintballs hit but did not break. Greatest moment was getting to shoot those that had run out of paintballs and were leaving the field. So nothing better than shooting them in the back when they were walking away or the legs. Made me smile. The bruises are always good stories and memories. We played for about 3 hours and after being bitten 60 + times on the hands and the face gave in and went for some food before going home. The taxi cost 56k on the way back. Getting lost is expensive!!!! I spent a few hours talking with steve before going home. Sunday night was a few beers and letting the aches develop. Oh how the legs do ache. I woke at 3am with every single bite itching at once. Luckily I have magic Indonesian tea tree oil sorted that out. 2 days later and they are dying down and not itching. The fear of Dengue has not passed I am sure I will be ok. I am still writing reports and plans for school and it is taking me a long time. That and teaching and generally running about the school has kept me busy.Still no gym. Wednesday is going to be the gym. I went swimming this morning and that was great and so I must do more of that. 9am swim in the pool. 10am back to the apartment, cup of tea and beans on toast. Fantastic. Completely different but really not off on a tangent. Some great news stories from the papers this week. Firstly, there is a ghost in a village to the southwest of here that is stealing TV sets. The locals are scared of the ghost and they think it is a pocong. A Pocong is a ghost that jumps and flies. It appears when a person who is being buried and is completely wrapped in cloth happens to have the cloth unwrapped. The police think it is a person in a sheet but cant be sure. Fantastic. (Islamic/Muslim ghost) Then there is the curious tale of a hospital that has suspended 3 women for wearing traditional muslim headscarfs despite being an Islamic state and the trouble that is brewing there. We have been warned of predicted riots on Saturday as protesters campaign about anti corruption, so that is not the best news. And finally (whilst there are many many more just read the globe) the new motorbike laws come into effect in January. Helmets for all. Lights on all day (flat batteries ahead then) and Keep left and drive in the badly repaired lane, full of buses, holes and other concerns. The fines can be up to a month in Jail if caught breaking the rules. That is great but strangely no mention of buses that have no lights, no pollution controls, no manners and no safety or the cars that have no seat belts or the 3 wheeled baiji that produce black smoke and have nothing good about them. Its all fair..... Thats why its fun here, so much to be confused, amused and bemused about!!!!!