INDONESIA-TROLLEY Trolleys playing Jakarta railtracks help residents get around

Record ID: 144628

  • Title: INDONESIA-TROLLEY Trolleys playing Jakarta railtracks help residents get around
  • Date: 10th August 2015
  • Summary: JAKARTA, INDONESIA (AUGUST 5, 2015) (REUTERS) WOODEN TROLLEY PARKING TO WAIT FOR CUSTOMERS MUHAMMAD HUSEIN, A 13-YEAR-OLD TROLLEY OPERATOR WAITING FOR CUSTOMERS A WOMAN CUSTOMER, SUWARMI, STEPPING INTO HUSEIN'S TROLLEY/SETTING OFF SUWARMI SITTING ON SIDE OF TROLLEY AS IT STARTS TO MOVE HUSEIN PUSHING HIS TROLLEY TROLLEY WHEELS ON RAILWAY TRACK (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia
  • Embargoed: 25th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Indonesia
  • Country: Indonesia
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAE4U676IHQW1O5JI2F6RVCC14S
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: In Jakarta's congested urban sprawl, going to work, visiting a friend or going shopping can be a time-consuming and tiring task.
    But here, near a two-kilometre of unused railway tracks in one of the Indonesian capital's slum areas, some creative, entrepreneurial people have come together to help themselves and the residents.
    They push trolleys made of scrap metal and wood along the tracks, carrying people and goods to destinations.
    "Pushing the trolley helps me earn some money to help my parents and to eat. I can earn up to 178,000 rupiah a day (US$13.20), but yesterday I earned around 70,000 rupiah (US$5.20)," said Muhammad Husein, a 13-year-old student who pushes a trolley in his free time.
    This alternative transport, known locally as "lori" started about two years ago and now there are about five to six trolleys in operation. The pushers work in shifts.
    Potential customers find a trolly, negotiate a price and jump on. It's usually a few thousand rupiah, depending on how far and how heavy the trip is.
    "It is very helpful because my things are so heavy to carry from the market. So the trolley helps me to carry these heavy things," said local resident Suwarmi, arms laden with shopping bags.
    Work as a trolley pusher is not just a part-time job for some. It has become a career for those who don't have skills to do higher-paying work.
    "Rather than being unemployed, or joining in a low-waged project which is not quite satisfying, it is better to push the trolley instead," said Edi Supriyatna, a 43-year-old father.
    When he's not pushing the trolley he spends time on its maintenance, fixing the frame and oiling the wheels.
    The main customers of the trolley pushers and the trolley pushers themselves, is a community of people who have been given space to live by the unused tracks while they wait for land to be allocated to them for resettlement by the local authorities.
    Indonesia's major public railway operator PT. KAI is well aware of the trolley business that is thriving northern Jakarta.
    "We are prohibiting such activities taking place. Why? Because the railway tracks need to be free, although there are no operational activities taking place there. If we let this kind of thing happen, there will be more and more people that would join and imitate them, and that is very, very dangerous indeed, " said public relations officer of the company, Bambang Setiyo Prayitno.
    But on the tracks, there is little sign of anyone trying to prevent the trolleys from rolling down the tracks.
    Indonesia is one of the largest countries in the world with inadequate public transport.
    Jakarta is developing an integrated transport network with buses and trains as well as renewing some of its transport fleet in order to encourage people to use public transport and reduce congestion.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register