Rush Hour

A few days ago I saw a bunch of tourists from Thailand at busway stop Central Harmoni. I couldn't help but wonder, why their tour guide is crazy enough to bring all of them during rush hour. Yes. It was around 4 PM where many people already finish their job and all rushing try to get home as soon as possible. Traffic jam will hit the street around 5 PM until around 8 PM. Which is why the goverment urge our people to use public transportation. Unfortunately, this is what you get by using public transportation. Long queuing and you have to bear many impolite people (me including...well, sometimes).

I think is great when you travel to another country and want to try the experience first hand on how was it if I use this public transportation? Will it be difficult? Is there something that I need to buy, like in this case e-ticket. And how much further you will want in that experience. Would you like to try how crazy people can be when all they can think of is home. As Soon As Possible. One minute this person can be nice to you, showing direction. But when the bus come he or she (usually is ...she).will brutally push you aside so you won't be in the way.

Why People Fight For A Seat

You probably wonder...why oh why seat on public transportation like buses or commuter line is so damn important.

Well, perhaps these pictures may give you an idea

Why?

I will never ever going to take a bus,” said one of my acquaintances for about twenty years ago. “My God! So crowded with people.

Queue Second part

Every day whenever I have to wait for busway to reach my destination, I always get agitated. Why? Most of the time, there are too many passengers inside the busway so I was unable to enter inside.

From far away, I could see that there are a bit of empty space near the driver. 1 -2 passengers should be able to stand there near the driver. So, the middle area would be emptier and other passengers will be able to enter. However, most passengers inside the busway prefer to stand in the middle area and therefore other people will not be able to enter.

While I was cramped inside the bus I thought why in the heck these passengers don’t want to enter to the other part of busway which actually a bit emptier.  And since I have all the time in the world I finally try to analyze the situation.

Traffic jam is back

And the traffic jam is here again! We are welcoming all the people from their home town and all kind of vehicles hitting the street.

To you who use busway / Trans Jakarta please kindly pay attention to your surrounding. Sometimes the official in charge don't inform the passengers about the destination. And most of busways nowadays don't inform the passenger as well through the recording tape. If you really have no idea about your destination then ask the official in charge.

In the mean time, enjoy the traffic again along with thousand of people on the crowded street... Take care all :)

Home Coming

Slowly but sure people starting to get pack and ready to go home to their hometown away from Jakarta. People probably wondering why on earth same thing always happens during these getaway season. Traffic jam all over the place.

How can't be traffic jam? I heard that there are about 6 million of people leaving Jakarta to their home town. If they are going home on the exact same day (for about 2 -3 days before Idul Fitri) then you can imagine how crowded the road must be. No wonder it has been said so many times that we have to know about holiday on other province or even in another country. For example, if we are in Bali on Seclusion Day then we will be so clueless about things to do. As on that day there are no activity in all over Bali. And they make sure of it. Or you go traveling here in Indonesia from one province to another near Idul Fitri celebration. Then I can assure you are going to be stuck for hours due to heavy traffic jam.

Crowded!

Ever wondering why people prefer to risk their safety by standing near the door instead inside the bus?

Simply sick

I was not feeling very well for these couple of days…

And suddenly I remembered those days when I have to go to work with such conditions.

Having PMS was the worst moment of my life… I have to drag myself from the bed… And along the way while waiting for the bus I kept on praying that the bus would be empty… Please, please God… let it be empty… Which of course…recently…NOT…

Entering the bus, I could only pray that my stomach would not hurt…then again...as I have already aware…the stomachache killing me… I looked around desperately…trying to find a place to seat otherwise I think I would collapse… Finally I decided I could not take it anymore I beg (yeah, literally…BEG) a guy sitting next to me if I could sit there for a while because I am not feeling very well. He probably feeling sorry for me after looked at my pale face he immediately stood up and gave me the seat. Bless that guy… Though he was probably swearing at me…

Years while still in college, I slipped in the bathroom and my toe nail almost ripped off (is that the correct word? Well, you know what I mean… it simply nearly took off from the skin…)
It hurts like hell and yet I have to go to the university as I was about to take exam. So, cautiously I went there using the bus… I have promised to myself that if ANYONE dare to step on my bleeding toe I would definitely KILL that person on the spot… But that was the year of 1993… People were not so crowded like nowadays… And more important I went to the university not during peak hour. So all I have to do is to walk with the pain expression and people just moved away from me… Especially after they saw bandage on my toe. Nowadays, I probably just took a taxi no matter how it cost…

If another person was sick on the bus or other public transportation we would soon find out because they starting to use this balsam and the smell… Let me just say that there is this one brand that could drag me to feel not feeling very well too after smell it… I totally hate it but what can I say…? Lucky me they only use that in attempt to drive away the sickness… Imagine if that person spew beside you… Within minutes, you would start to feel that the sickness has moved to your body though perhaps it was only in our imagination…

Another thing I remembered when I chose to take a taxi to go to the office. Along the way, I saw someone I know from Omprengan (private cars used illegally as public transportation)… So, I stop the taxi and called her out to join with me in this taxi… I remembered her office is just a few blocks away from mine… I did not intend to ask her to share the fare but just being a good Samaritan. I saw her hesitation but I keep asking her anyway so finally she got it.

Inside the taxi she asked me why on earth I took a taxi to go to the office? I said I was not feeling very well …
She then looked me for a few seconds too long before finally said,” Then why are you going to the office if you are not feeling well?”

I looked at her again… Tried to think something smart to say…short, witty but straight to the heart… Could not find any… So, I just smile and keep on silent up to the moment she reached her destination…

Oh dear… Of course I would rather STAY at HOME while I was sick… BUT…I have responsibility and consideration to fellow colleagues… If I was not going to the office it means she would be working alone with lots of works to do… And since I could not stand the fact I have to stand all the way to the office on the bus…then taking taxi seems a better choice…
Like I said, being in the same city…facing with the same hectic traffic jam, using the same bus…does not mean people start to understand each other…

In short… If you are sick… DO NOT GO TO THE OFFICE!

Physical's problem

Getting on the bus in Jakarta require extraordinary physical strength... Nope, I am not exaggerating anything...if we are in the situation where the bus is overloaded with passengers.
Yeah, overloaded with passengers during busy hours on any kind of bus. Either regular bus, fast semi express bus, whatever you can think of even busway

Why we need to have physical strength?

1. Pressure
No, noooo...not economical pressure... But physical pressure from other passengers. At crowded place like that, once in a while there will be passenger who are going in and out. If your body not strong enough to stand in the middle of so many people and hold on to anything (not holding or grabbing or gripping on other passengers, naturally...)...then we could loose our balance and simply fall.

2. Grip or hold on to something
If it happens we are standing near the seat, then we could place our hands and gripping strongly to the side of passenger's seat. You can use both hands or one hand only if you have to. If we are in bad luck, then we have to stretch our hands and grip anything available above... If we could reach it... If you are as short as me...then...good luck


What if you are not in good condition or plain sick?

Hhhhh, for me is the biggest torture. That is why my salute to those pregnant women who is more than capable to be inside the over crowded bus with people. Lots of them even have to standing all the way their journey!

Once I was on the bus while my PMS period. At first, I only feel the usual symptom...like you were having flu and your body is aching everywhere. But soon enough the passengers started to overloaded and I was gasping for air. My head was spinning around and the worst part my vision started to blur. I decided to just get off the bus rather than pass out inside. Then when I was standing near the door, I felt the air brushing my face... It was like I was thirsty and been given water to fresh me up... What a relieve! Then I stayed on the bus and keep standing near the door until I reach my destination (what a stingy!)

I really hate to feel going to the toilet whenever I have to stand all the way of my journey...inside the overcrowded bus. Feel like I was being stabbed all over the place. Usually, if I really could not stand it anymore I was starting to act (actually it was not really acting as I did feel a lot of pain). Making a tortured face and ask for mercy from people who already sat. I asked them to give their seat to me as I could no longer bear the pain. Usually works! At least that was happening when the first time I desperately ask for help from other passengers to give me their seat. Have not try again afterwards.

Oh, by the way I think I need to revise a bit about physical strength... It is not a guarantee that you will be able to strong enough facing the storm inside the overcrowded bus.

I knew someone who all his/her life mostly living outside Jakarta...once collapsing on the overloaded bus. And this person whose strength no need to be doubted; not even standing inside that bus! But then again... Perhaps environment outside Jakarta full with fresh air... And when we used air conditioned bus (though the AC seems not working properly) with all the windows totally shut...obviously we would feel out of breath... And later on we will loose consciousness... LOL! For honoring this person, I am sorry I will not disclose the real identity.

Accesories

Yesterday I was in a totally empty regular bus. There couldn't be more than a dozen of passengers... (If this situation happening at night, I would definitely not ever going to get on the bus... Scary)

Usually when the bus is crowded, the bus driver would feel reluctant to let this street singers to get on the bus and start their action... Especially during the peak hours... Even there is only one street singer on the bus...he or she would have taken more spaces... Who want to stand around near them while they are singing? If their voice is good, then is no problem. But if the other way around or those who bring the whole entire gang (more than 3 persons) including the music instruments... Sighed... It is hard for me to enjoy the music... There is only this loud sound and sultry.

But yesterday, after a street singer come up on the bus I noticed that the driver and his "assistant" (the one who help to collect the bus fare) start calling more street signers to get on the bus... That's unusual, I thought. These street singers think the same thing so they asked the driver, "That's so unusual you calling us to get in here..." And the driver just simply answered, "Yeah, so all of you can have a reunion here...while the bus is still empty..."
Obviously those street singer were like ,"Damn you... " The driver's ASSISTANT who merely smile finally jump in to the conversation, "Just to give this bus a crowded look... So, it does not look too empty ... Or we are going to be a laughing stock by other drivers..."

Hahahahah, this is the first time I saw street singers were needed to be accessories to make the bus look crowded. You know, store owner sometimes use their own employee pretending to be customer to attract other customers entering their store. We usually feel reluctant to enter store with no other customer... Automatically we think, the sales girl is bitchy, unprofessional, the items that were sold not have good quality and so on...
I just feel how funny that the driver and his assistant have an idea to use these street singers to get more crowds

Hey driver, we feel the opposite with the store... We feel happy to get on a-not-so-crowded bus so we can sit and thankfully have a rest comfortably and safely... free of pickpockets:)

(yeah right, paying cheap fare but wishing a comfort and safety... No promise can do...)