Transportation now a vital need

Waiting by the roadside one fine afternoon, Aldi occasionally checked his smartphone to track the location of the car he booked through a ride-hailing application.

He was in a bit of a hurry to meet a client ata nearby restaurant. Aldi, who works in the sales and marketing division at a private company, preferredapp-based rideservices as his transportation mode of choice for its high availability and flexibility.

Aldi’s story paints a global trend that is also applicable to big cities in Indonesia today. Technology development has changed the way people fulfill their needs, includinginthe field of transportation.

We all need transportation to support our daily activities, from working, going to school, to shopping. This is the case for not only something routine, but also activities like traveling andgoing on vacation.

It is thus unsurprising that the number of vehicles increases every year. The Statistics Indonesia (BPS)revealed that the number of land vehicles has annually increased by 9.13% on averagefrom 2011 to 2015.

For instance, BPS recorded 121 million vehicles in Indonesia in 2015, comprising 13.4 million cars, 2.4 million buses, 6.6 million trucks and 98.8 million motorcycles.

This was a considerable increase from 114 million vehicles in 2014, comprising 12.5 million cars, 2.3 million buses, 6.2 million trucks and 92.9 million motorcycles.

Today, app-based ride serviceshaschanged the playing field for public transportation. Those without personal vehicles will consider these servicesmorefavorable than other modes of public transport, such as taxi, public bus, and public minivan.

Solution for safe transportation

Of all available options for transportation, which one is the safest and most comfortable? This is important as number of accidents increase every year.

National data of traffic accidents bythe National Police Traffic Corps (KorlantasPolri) shows an increasing trend every year. In 2016, the police recorded 105,374 accidents, an increase from 98,970 accidents in 2015 and 95,906 accidents in 2014. 

Road Safety Movement Network (JarakAman) Coordinator Edo Rusyanto said that several factors have caused an increase in accidents, one of which is the risingnumber of vehicles.

“Another factor is the behavior of drivers that don’t prioritize safety while driving,” Edo said as reported by Kompas.com on Wednesday (January 25, 2017).

Moreover, the vehicle condition could also cause accident. In fact, some of the accidents occurred because of malfunction in the brake system.

Therefore, to minimize traffic accidents, you need to choose well-maintained vehicle along with capable and professional driver.

If you still have doubt about the quality of the vehicles and drivers of conventional and app-based transportions, you may consider renting a vehicle. Nowadays, rental services are widely available with attractive rental packages.

Make sure that you rent vehicles from reputable agents that offer around one to four-year old vehicles.

Good reputation also indicated the quality of services offered to you. Vehicles with low mileage will minimize the risks of break downduring a ride.Therefore, you willarrive safely at your destination.