Bang Ambon - Sopir Ojol Fatmawati

"We really don't want to park carelessly on the side of the road like this, bang."

Ambon has been operating here since 2017. Before the pandemic, he could still save money and spend time on weekends for his photography hobby. But when the pandemic hit, he had to work full time as an ojol. From his experience at several different gathering points, MRT Fatmawati is by far the busiest. However, to control the density of ojol, sometimes the head office initiates area suspensions (in the form of passenger restrictions) for some drivers so that they have to move bases for a few days. According to Ambon, there are 3 types of ojol. Those who gather near train stations, those who focus on food deliveries, and those who gather around the MRT. Food vendors are more profitable because usually the customer will give tips, but it often takes time waiting for the order to be cooked. Station-based ojol usually take passengers quite far and get involved in traffic jams. So Ambon chose the MRT, where customers usually have shorter journeys which mean he can quickly return to get another passenger. He hopes for a gathering place specifically for ojol. Basically, he and most of the other drivers realised that they were disturbing traffic, so felt reluctant to pull over on the side of the road. Together with the ojol community, they once suggested renting space from the station office, some land previously used as a ford showroom, for a dedicated ojol pick up point. This was planned to connect with the main door and side door, behind the location of several warung, to separate ojol activities from the flow of traffic. However, the proposal was stopped midway because the showroom owner was not willing to rent it out. “We have tried to rent parking on the land next door (the former showroom). The path is there, the access door is also behind the warung. The central office would agree, but unfortunately the showroom owner didn't give permission." "The MRT is good for ojol, the main destinations are close, so you can more quickly return without getting stuck in traffic."