Trusted transportation mode still a hope as Indonesian online taxis rife with crime

Topic about online taxi’s safety has emerged after an incident of "F", an online taxi driver who was reported by a customer over allegations of violence and robbery. The driver admitted that the incident did take place in Makassar on June 19, 2017.

"I indeed pushed the passenger and urged her to get off the car because there was an accident that makes me uncomfortable at the beginning of the trip," said F.

But F denied that he robbed the passenger. He explained the accident which prompted him to push the passenger.

As told to "Tribun Timur.com" in an article "Online Taxi Driver denied stealing passenger's bag", the passenger made an order with a wrong location at a car repair shop.

The wrong location pinmade him parked at the exit way, and he was treated badly by the car repair shop security officer because of this.

Makassar was not the only city witnessing accidents involving online taxi drivers. Mass media have reported a viral video of a passenger who was dropped off and scolded by an online taxi driver at Kota Kasablanka shopping mall in South Jakarta.

The incident, which was reported byKompas.com"(June 20, 2017) began when the passenger had to wait for 15 minutes for the driver to confirm a pick-up spot.

After the passenger hopped into the car, the driver asked about the route to Jatinegara, but the passenger did not respond. The passenger admitted that the trip was not comfortable because the car was travelling at speed and going over speed bumps.

The driver then asked the passenger about the desired route. The passenger mentioned an alternative route because the usual one appeared to be congested.

But eventually they still ended up in a traffic jam as well and the driver complained. The passenger did not react until the driver scolded the passenger.

"Are you listening to what I am saying? For your next trip, the driver should be the one choosing the route, not the passenger," said the driver to the passenger.

Another incident happened in Makassar, when a 16-year old teenager survived a rape attempt, Kompas.com reported in an article titled "Online taxi driver caught red-handed trying to rape a passenger".

YLKI Survey

Aside from those incidents, Indonesian Consumers Protection Foundation (YLKI) has previously released a survey revealing some bad experiences with online taxi drivers.

The survey pointed out various complaints from consumers, which reported by  "Tribunnews.com" on an article titled "41% online taxi passengers disappointed with online taxi service"(August 5, 2017).

"When asked if the respondents had a disappointing experience with online taxi, about 41% of them said they did have an unpleasant experience," said YLKI Chair,TulusAbadi.

Tulus explained the unpleasant experiences as follows: driver requesting cancellation (1,041 respondents or 22.3%), driver cancelling an order (757 respondents or 16.22%), and driver not showing up (296 respondents or 6.34%).

282 respondents or 6.04% also reported problems of poor car condition. Other unpleasant incidents also include reckless driving (221 respondents or 4.73%), cigarette smell in the car (215 respondents or 4.61%), and driver smoking cigarette when driving (35 respondents or 0.75%).

Looking at the survey, safety and convenience has become a top concerns for online taxi business. Customers should embark on a safe and convenient trip with a well-maintained car driven by a professional driver, as provided by TRAC, a car rental company under SerayaAutoraya (SERA), a part of Astra’s subsidiary.

A well-organized system of car maintenance and drivers is part of modernity that customers should experience, not only the convenienceof using online taxi.