5 Tips for Foreigners to Find Taxi in Jakarta

5 Tips for Foreigners to Find Taxi in Jakarta

Photo Credit: Pexels

 

Traffic in Indonesia—especially in Jakarta—is one of a kind. You cannot easily find it in other countries since it’s really packed and crowded. With this situation, it is common for expatriates to use public transportations or hail taxis. Taxi is more comfortable and if you’re not familiar with right-hand drive, it’s sure a savior.

However, the taxis here are surely different than the ones you usually find in your home country. They may not operate near your office or your residence. Then, how to hail them? Here is the complete guide to find a taxi in Jakarta and how to hail them.

Taxi usually has queues at public area

In Indonesia, aside from the pools, taxi also has queues at public area. Locals usually call it pangkalan. So, if you want to hail taxi faster, just go near public places like shopping malls or hotels. However, if you’re close to the main road, just hail taxi there by waving your hand.  If the taxi is vacant, the driver will slam the brake to pick you up. If not, the driver will flash the lights.

Try to call the company

If your location is far from a public place or you can’t directly hail a taxi on the road, just try to call the company. Every taxi company in Jakarta has a contact number for their customer. A large company like Bluebird even has a handy application for online order. The company will send you a taxi to your location.

However, hailing a taxi by phone or application may be not as quick as hailing it directly on the street. It all depends on the weather, traffic jam, and even your location. The closer your location to the pool or pangkalan, the faster taxi will come.  

Learn basic Indonesian to hail a taxi

When hailing a taxi, it’s no better way to do it as locals do. This will help you to avoid driver plays “trick” on you. He may drive you around in circles and makes the meter goes up. The driver may look friendly by initiating a conversation, but watch out! He can take you to a circuitous route.

To be as swift as locals when hail a taxi is sure a hard task. Then try to speak in Indonesian. Your Indonesian vocabulary is limited? Just try to learn the basic one to hail a taxi. Here are some useful terms:

Direction

•    Kanan: right
•    Kiri: left
•    Lurus: straight
•    Putar balik: U-turn

Suggestion

•    Hati-hati: be careful
•    Pelan-pelan: go slowly
•    Kenapa tidak lewat sini?: why don’t take this route?

Terms

•    Argo: taxi meter
•    Pangkalan: taxi queue
•    Ongkon: cost
•    Langgangan: a regular customer

Don’t forget to pick the good taxi companies only

There are several taxi companies in Jakarta. Not all of them are reputable, some have a bad record for reckless driving and even degenerate fleet. Taking bad taxi can also endanger your safety.

You can take Silver Bird or Blue Bird; both have a good track record and safer drivers.  Silver Bird even comes with premium service. They have Mercedes E and C class and Alphard for their fleet. Silver Bird taxis can be easily found at five-star hotels, but you can also hail it by phone for a home pick-up as well.

Paying for taxis in Jakarta

The flag fall for a taxi in Jakarta begins at IDR6,500 and will climb IDR3,500 for each kilometer. If you want your taxi to wait for you, the “waiting” fare is IDR42,000/hour.

For “executive line” taxi such as Silver and Golden Bird, the fares are higher than the common taxi. Their flag fall starts at IDR15,000 and climbs IDR6,800 for each kilometer. Higher fare applies for the Alphards fare. They start at IDR15,000 and climbs IDR7,500 for each kilometer.

 

Hailing a taxi in Jakarta is the best option to support your mobility. It is convenient, pretty cheap, and can be found easily. If you cannot find any taxis near you, the five tips above can be used. The taxi ride is usually a valuable cultural experience since the drivers also come with lots of helpful information. Don’t feel hesitate to ask them about current issues, they can give an interesting perspective!

Now, if you choose a taxi for your main transportation, don’t forget to choose a residence that has easy access to taxi. Kemang Apartment by Pudjiadi Prestige can be the best option for you. It’s close to the business district and malls. It’s definitely easy to hail a taxi here!