Becak - Transportation in Indonesia

Becak

If you come to Indonesia and wanna feel using becak as an accomodation, you have to know what price you have to pay. Usualy, becak transport cost about $1-$1.5/kilometer. It depend on the track. Since powered by muscle, flat track and incline track result on different amount of food the becak's driver consume. The driver also consider your weight. Kid pay less, sumo's probably pay double or forbiden.

Don't forget about muscle engine, since they are all men, sexy - pretty girl pay less also, or probably free (if i was the driver, for instance ^_^).

Becak were banned within the Jakarta city limits in 1994 due to their propensity to cause traffic jams. Former President Soeharto (and others) also wanted to eradicate becak from the city streets because they felt the work to be degrading to the drivers. Becak are widely missed by people who live in housing complexes off the main roads and small roads which are not serviced by bus routes - as their sheer numbers in the city prior to the crackdown attests to how widely they were used. It used to be a common site in Jakarta to see becak drivers taking children to school each morning, and women home from the pasar (traditional market).




However, you may still be able to find an occasional becak driver ignoring the ban in certain locations within the city limits. Outside city limits becak are still found at the junctions of main roads and smaller country lanes that don't have smaller bus routes. Models of becak are different in each city they are found in across Indonesia.


Becak fit two passengers comfortably and possibly even more, depending on the size of the passenger. There is some protection from the sun ... and a plastic sheet that comes down over the front helps protect passengers during rainstorms. Bargain before you get in ... ! And don't expect the driver to have change for large bills.