Underage Public Transport Drivers

‘Angkot’ (public minivan) driver Razi Hariyanto, 15, waiting for passengers at the Manggarai Terminal in Jakarta. Razi is one of the many underage public transport drivers who have somehow managed to elude the police. He claims to have been an ‘angkot’ driver since the age of 11 and earns between 50,000 rupiah (RM13) and 200,000 rupiah (RM54) per day. Most of the underage drivers are driven to the profession due to poverty. — The Jakarta Post / Asia News Network

JAKARTA: Sixteen-year-old Randa relaxed in the driver’s seat of a Metro Mini bus on route S62, tra­velling from Manggarai Bus Station to Pasar Minggu Bus Terminal in south Jakarta, while waiting for passengers in Manggarai.

Although his driving is competent, his young age is apparent from his small built and innocent face.

There are many underage Me­­tro Mini, angkot (public minivan) and Kopaja drivers in Jakarta who have been driving for years and have somehow managed to escape the police.

“I have been driving Metro Mini and angkot for about a year. I have been caught once by the police. They gave me a warning and made me write a statement declaring I wouldn’t drive again,” Randa said.

He was behind the wheel again a few days later.

Randa said he was an unofficial driver, locally known as supir tembak, without a Metro Mini or angkot driver’s permit or a driver’s licence as he was underage.

He said he cut his education short after elementary school to make money and that his parents did not have enough money to pay his tuition fee.

It was not until early last year – when he was 15 – that he started driving the public buses.

The legal age for a resident to own a driver’s licence in Indonesia is 17 years old.

“My father and my older bro­ther are both Metro Mini drivers. They taught me how to drive,” Randa said.

He said each day he needed to make at least Rp300,000 (RM81.60) to give to his boss. He took home at least Rp50,000 (RM13.60) a day.

“I want to return to school one day, but I have to make enough money first so I can pay my tuition,” he said.

Another underage driver, 15-year-old Dwi, who has been dri­ving for two years, said he dropped out of school to look for money.

“My parents did not have enough money to pay my tuition so I dropped out of school. It was my decision,” he said.

Dwi is also a supir tembak. He said he needed to make at least Rp300,000 a day, from which he would receive at least Rp40,000 (RM10.90). However, Dwi says he has no intention of returning to school.

Jakarta Traffic Police enforcement head Hindarsono confirmed his unit often encountered underage public transportation drivers.

“This year, my officers have caught a handful of them,” he said. — The Jakarta Post / Asia News Network