´ó¿§¸£ÀûÓ°Ôº

I am back in Jakarta having spent awhile in Ubud where shanks’s pony is sufficient to get around but not in this great metropolis.

Cheese and chalk? Salt & Vinegar? are taxi comparables to Jakarta & Manila. However both cities share many traits in terms of spread, size and congestion.

This is a shout out to the sheer consistent honesty and professionalism of their drivers.

As a Bulé I have to pay cash whether it’s grab or a Bluebird. Often even if I give the driver a higher amount to the fare on arrival they instantly want to give me the full change. When I say keep it they are genuinely grateful . I’m a sucker for people in the service sector who don’t expect tips. I end up tipping more. Filipino taxi drivers are so pig ignorant that they have still to figure this out with visiting foreigners.

I am writing this in Starbucks Plaza Indonesia  on the lower ground floor ( it moved in December. )

The Bluebird taxi driver who dropped me off did not have enough change for the 50,000 Rupiah note I gave him. I’d run out of small notes. He explained that the Bluebird App ( which I have) now accepts foreign credit cards!

He said you don’t have to pay me for the ride. I said keep the change ( the ride fare was 35,000 rupiah. )

As is the case with Manila the traffic is horrendous but the taxi drivers are the complete opposite reflecting a culture and honesty that I find very appealing.