Regard for Passenger Safety in Ride-hailing Apps Deemed Poor
Law enforcers and app-based transportation companies are urged to implement better rules, improve monitoring and impose stricter punishments for violations.
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·4 minutes read
Dhanang David for Kompas
A customer uses a ride-hailing application to order transportation services online.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – App-based transportation related crimes continue to occur. Passengers as consumers have minimal guarantee for safety and security. Efforts to monitor safety and security as well as to prevent and tackle crimes, both by law enforcers and app-based transportation companies, are deemed abysmal.
Yun Siska Rohani, 29, became the latest victim of such a crime on Sunday (18/3/2018). As an employee of a wedding organizer, Siska often works until very late at night. On Sunday, she was robbed and then murdered by the driver of the registered app-based transportation service.
When the police revealed the suspect’s identity and the car’s license plate, a survivor of a similar crime perpetrated by the same driver came forward.
In an interview with Kompas on Wednesday (21/3), ST, 26, said that her incident occurred in the early hours of Friday (16/3). At the time, the accountant who often worked until late at night ordered a ride through an app. A driver identified in the application as Fahmi Idris driver a Suzuki Ertiga with a license plate of B 2205 BFU then picked her up.
She immediately felt strange when the driver asked her if she was alone. Despite the unusual questions, she hopped in as she was already tired. ST carefully observed the make of the car, its license plate and the name of the driver on the application. She then sat in the second row.
The driver offered to take ST through an alternative route but she refused. When they arrived in an alleyway near her home and ST decided to get out, the driver refused to open the door.
Immediately, she heard loud rustles of a man getting up from the back row. An arm then reached forward and tried to strangle her. She blocked the man with her right arm and immediately opened the door lock with her left hand. The door opened and she immediately ran toward her house, screaming for help. Fortunately, she arrived at her home safely with only slight injuries to her left leg and right arm.
Regarding the incidents, Bogor Police criminal investigation division chief Adj. Comr. Bimantoro Kurniawan refused to confirm whether Siska’s and ST’s attacker was the same person. “You are free to come to your own conclusion,” he said.
Nevertheless, Bimantoro said the method used against ST was similar to what was committed by FH and FD, the suspects in SIska’s murder.
The difference is that Siska was mentioned to have used Grab while ST used Uber. Regulation says that one driver using one car cannot partner with more than one app-based transportation service.
Uber Indonesia spokeswoman Dian Safitri said the company would investigate ST’s claims. “We will announce our findings,” she said.
Grab Indonesia spokeswoman Dewi Nuraini did not respond to Kompas’ inquiry. However, Grab Indonesia marketing director Mediko Azwar said Grab had a strict selection process in recruiting partner drivers, including background and criminal record checks.
Immediate improvements
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the ministry made regulations, including stipulations on displaying driver’s identity in vehicles, to ensure passenger safety. Regulation implementation is monitored by local police office and the transportation agency.
“All information regarding the vehicle, the driver, the vehicle’s availability, and others, must be displayed clearly on the dashboard,” he said.
Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara said the ministry would resolve the dashboard issue within the week.
Soegijapranata Catholic University transportation expert Djoko Setijowarno and Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) chair Tulus Abadi said the basic principles of transportation were safety, accessibility, affordability, integration, comfort and sustainability. “Online taxi online answers accessibility and affordability,” Tulus said.
Tulus and Djoko added that app-based transportation drivers were still protesting Transportation Ministerial Regulation No. 108/2017. This is despite the regulation serving as an entryway to establish a minimum service standard for app-based transportation services. These standards serve to protect drivers, who are also targeted by crimes. The standards also protect the rights of drivers as partners of app-based transportation companies.
“They refuse vehicle roadworthy tests, the use of driver’s license for public transportation and the use of stickers,” Tulus said.
