Rayhan Anas Lubis/Lyndal Meehan, Jakarta – In an effort to improve the welfare of motorised pedicab drivers and cap the number of the vehicles serving the public in the troubled province of Aceh, 1500 drivers have formed a new union.
The All-Aceh Three-Wheelers Union (Pertisa) was declared today, in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, in a lively ceremony attended by the city's Mayor Zulkarnain.
"Pertisa was formed to develop a unity between motorised pedicab drivers. Besides that, we hope with the establishment of this union to build a cooperative for members to improve the welfare of the drivers," said Tengku Syahril S, the union's new leader.
According to Syahril, their are currently around 5000 of the vehicles in the province with around 3000 in the capital alone. "We hope with the birth of Pertisa to to limit the number of pedicabs [known locally as becak]. The problem is that there's no balance between the number of becaks and the number of customers," Syahril said.
The motorised pedicabs first came to the area in the 1970s from India. Many pedicabs still in use today were produced in India in the 1960s. These 50 cc vehicles are widely used as a cheap form of public transport although many complain that their engines are too noisy and disturb the public. Many drivers decorate their vehicles laboriously and most are maintained by the drivers themselves who are expert at improvising repairs.
In recent years, becaks with 70 and 100c engines have began appearing which has increased the volume of pedicabs on the streets and threatened the livelihood of many established operators. "At the moment there are many rubbishy becaks. The bodies of the becaks they throw together with 70 or 100cc engines are what is ruining us," Syahril said.
Replacing older pedicabs is proving difficult for many established drivers. A new pedicab can cost as much as Rp 7 million (US$ 800) while second hand vehicles sell for around Rp 2.5-3 million. "If there no permit, it's cheaper," said Sukir, a 50 year old driver and father of 6 who has worked in the industry for over 19 years.
Widespread violence in the province has strangled their trade in recent years. However, the implementation of a humanitarian pause agreement between the central government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), which came into effect in early June, is returning the situation to "business as usual".
Sukir admits that at the moment he is earning between Rp 30- 40,000 (around US$4) per day. "Yeah, so far that income's been enough. My oldest is already working and helps out also," he said. "But last December, when Aceh wasn't safe again, my income went down. At that time people were afraid to leave their homes. Thankfully we have the peace pause now and my income's gone back to normal," he added.