Originally posted on Wednesday, 10 September 2008 at 11:27
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It’s been more than two weeks that I’m back being a student. Only this time my schedule starts at 18:30. And I’m a grad student.
Although they call it executive class, doesn’t mean I have to do everything in executive way (generally doesn’t really care about how much money they spent, especially when the amount is not much), which means I still care about how much money I spent for almost everything, including transportation.
To get to the campus, I can always ask anyone at home to drive me there or wherever I will be, I can always have someone to give me a ride there. But to get home is another thing.
Some ask me why don’t I drive to and from campus, simple answer. Parking, Gas, Preman, and Bencong (I’m a brave woman, but chicken shit anytime I see bencong and drunken preman singing and begging for money, especially at night)
Thank God, my house is not too far from the campus in Salemba, and there are many public transportation available to get me home, of course, when it’s late at night, I do put extra attention to my safety, which leaves me to only two public transportation Taxi or Bajaj(BJ).
Why those two? because in those two public transportation I don’t have to share with anyone else, which means the taxi or bajaj doesn’t have to stop to pick up other passenger, so I can get home faster. The faster I get home, the faster I get away from this scary Jakarta street at night.
Most people, when they want to save their transportation budget, they would pick BJ, while I think it doesn’t always work that way, because BJ is not always cheaper than taxi.
Here’s an illustration:
1.I take a cab with tarif atas from Salemba to Kayuputih
Taxi dude: Malam bu, selamat datang di taxi _____, kemana tujuan kita?
Me: Kayuputih pak
(quiet the whole trip or sometimes a light conversation with the driver, until I get home)
Me: (checking out the argometer reads on Rp.20.000, pay the fare), Makasih pak.
Taxi dude: Terima kasih, ibu telah menggunakan jasa taxi kami.
2. I take a cab with tarif bawah from Salemba to Kayuputih
Taxi dude: Malam bu, mau kemana?
Me: Kayuputih pak.
(quiet the whole trip or sometimes a light conversation with the driver, until I get home)
Me: (checking out the argometer reads on Rp.15.000, pay the fare), Makasih pak.
Taxi dude: Makasih, bu.
3. I take a bajaj from Salemba to Kayuputih, of course, the procedure is to deal the fare before you get in.
Me: BANG!! KAYUPUTIH YAAA!!! BERAPAAN???
BJ dude: LIMA BELAS!! (giving me 5 fingers)
Me: SEPULUH!!! (giving him 10 fingers)
BJ dude: DUA BELAS!!! (giving me 2 fingers, peace!)
Me: (giving him a finger, not the middle one).
BJ Dude; (nod and point his thumb to the back which means ‘get in’)
(noisy the whole trip there’s no way I have a conversation with the BJ dude, except the screaming saying… PAAAKKKK, DI DEPAN BELOK KIRII!!!, BELOK KANAAAANNNNN!!! STOOOOPPPPP!!!!)
Me:(giving the Rp.11.000) MAKASIH PAAAKKK!!
BJ Dude: MAKASIH NEENNG!!!
But the whole fare up there, didn’t really work lately, because I get a ride up to Pramuka from my class mate, Vanny. So she can help me save almost half of my tranportation money. From where she drop me off, It usually costs me about Rp.10.000 with Taxi Tarif Atas, Rp.8000 with Taxi Tarif Bawah, and amazingly, Rp.9000 with Bajaj.
However, after spending a week doing bargaining with many BJ dudes and comparing my taxi fares with BJ fares, Here’s something I have to tell you when you decided to take a BJ.
1. Tell the BJ dude, clearly with perfect articulation and loud enough voice where you are going, learn the bargaining sign language too!
2. DONOT bargain for the price. If you think that you know how much you should or usually spend, just get into the BJ.
3. Make sure that the BJ dude listens to your direction, because if not, he’ll go further than he’s supposed to, and he will use it against you, he’ll asl for more expensive fares and it’s all your fault.
4. When you get to your destination, get off the BJ, close the door, give the EXACT AMOUNT of the money to the BJ Dude. Example when you think that you should pay Rp.12.000, DONOT give him Rp.15.000 and ask for a change. Remember, you didn’t bargain for the fare in the beginning.
5. Quickly says thank you and leave him. DONOT look him in the eyes, stare, smile,give a puppy face or silly face or anything that makes him think that you will give him more money or your phone number.
But of course, we don’t always have to be that mean to the BJ Dude.
As for me, it doesn’t really matter whether I take a cab or a BJ. Whichever comes first, that’s what I’m riding to get home from Pramuka, again it’s all about safety.
Afterall, I usually just pay Rp.10.000 for any kind of transportation I take from Pramuka. If it’s a Taxi Tarif Atas, it’s the exact amount, when tarif bawah, he can keep the change, if it’s a BJ, well… the BJ dude probably thinks that he deserves it, because his fare is cheaper than taxi.