Delman Trotter still Trading with 2-Wheeler

[GWR]

'Delman' still going strong despite more modern modes of transportation
The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sat, 05/31/2008 12:07 PM y

http://www.thejakartapost.com/files/images/p05-b-1_16.jpg
[Photo: Jakarta post - FANCY A BUGGY RIDE? - Delman (horse-drawn buggy) drivers maneover around a mini bus on Jl. Swadharma Raya, Ulujami, South Jakarta. Many people there feel more comfortable taking a delman. (JP/Lutfi Anggara)BUGGY-WOOGIE: Delman (horse-drawn buggy) drivers maneover around a mini bus on Jl. Swadharma Raya, Ulujami, South Jakarta. Many people there feel more comfortable taking a delman. (JP/Lutfi Anggara)]

Traveling to Ulujami subdistrict in South Jakarta might change many people's assumption that only modern modes of transportation have a place in the capital.

On one of the neighborhood's main roads, Jl. Swadharma Raya, more than 30 delman (horse-drawn buggy) drivers line up waiting for customers every day; forming a delman station similar to the ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers adjacent.

"We wait in line for passengers, just like other transportation providers," said Pian, one of the delman drivers.

Besides delman and ojek, there are also public minivans and buses sharing the same routes along Jl. Swadharma. Even though the bus fares are cheaper, the delman still have their fair share of passengers.

Mashur, a 63-year-old delman driver, said the minimum charge was Rp 2,000 (US$0.2) per person. He said the minimum charge did not make the delman less competitive than cheaper transportation modes.

"It depends on luck. As long as we are not greedy, we can always work here peacefully. The delman drivers are based here, while the ojek drivers are over there.

"It's up to the customers which one they would like to use," he said.

He said most people who chose to take delman were those who could not stand the stifling heat inside buses or minivans.

Dimas, a first grade junior high school student who prefers delman over the bus, said buses always took longer than a delman when waiting for passengers.

Buses have more seats, therefore it takes longer for them to fill up. Delman, on the other hand, can only hold four passengers.

"Traveling by delman is also more comfortable because the air is cooler," he said.

However, Mashur said the four-seater vehicle could not offer the driver a lucrative livelihood as it once did.

"In the old days, before cars dominated the roads in Jakarta, I used to take passengers to Kebayoran and Tanah Abang (in Central Jakarta). I could even drive my delman to the fish market near Fatahillah Square in West Jakarta," said the man, proud of having been in the business since 1965.

He also said until the early 1990s, he was among the delman drivers who officially served for the Jakarta administration in Ancol Dreamland, North Jakarta, taking people to and from the venue and driving passengers to tour the area.

"The roads are no longer friendly to delman drivers. It is also hard for people like us to find space to look after our horses. My horse has to share a stable with two other horses belonging to my children," he said. (uwi)
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/05/31/039delman039-still-going-strong-despite-more-modern-modes-transportation.html

[GWR]

See also previous post on the Delmans themselves

Horse riding all the rage in Tangerang

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sat, 05/31/2008 12:07 PM | City

http://www.thejakartapost.com/files/images/p05-a-1_29.jpg
[Photo: The Jakarta Post - GIDDY-UP, ELVIRA: Children enjoy riding horses at a housing complex park in Bintaro area, south of Jakarta. (JP/Lutfi Anggara)GIDDY-UP, ELVIRA: Children enjoy riding horses at a housing complex park in Bintaro area, south of Jakarta. (JP/Lutfi Anggara)]

Parents in search of entertainment for their children away from the humdrum facilities found in malls throughout the city, can now escape to a park in Bintaro Jaya housing estate in Tangerang for some equine entertainment.

Here, parents and children alike are given the chance to ride horses and delman (a traditional buggy) from morning to afternoon. There are about 50 horses and 20 delman at hand to provide hours of fun for visitors.

"Our children can experience a different kind of entertainment from that offered in malls. Interacting with horses brings them closer to nature, despite the fact we live in a big city," said Farid, a Bintaro resident who brought his 2-year-old daughter to the park for horse riding.

He said his daughter always asked to go to the park every Sunday and would throw a fit if refused.

"Every time her mother goes shopping at the supermarket, she asks to go horse riding," he said.

Unlike Farid and most parents who merely spectate while their children ride, Hendra, who lives in Graha Bintaro, regularly rides for at least an hour.

"For me, horse riding is quite challenging because you have to constantly maintain your balance. That is what I enjoy most about it," he said.

On this particular Sunday, Hendra was riding alone, having dropped off his wife at a beauty salon. But he said he often comes to the park with his children and friends.

He said he became enamored of the activity in the early 1990s, when a friend who worked at the Pamulang stables in Tangerang persuaded him to give it a try.

Runi, who owns three of the horses at the park, said he charged Rp 5,000 (50 US cents) to ride one lap around the park.

"It costs Rp 80,000 to rent a horse for an hour, and you can ride anywhere you like," he said.

He said the cost for riding in a delman around the area was Rp 10,000 per person.

Runi, from Jombang, Tangerang regency, said all the local horse owners were members of the Bintaro Jaya Horse Riding Association.

"The association helps us with our business here, especially in dealing with security officers in the housing complex. We pay them a so-called *parking' fee every week. It's about Rp 40,000 for each horse and Rp 20,000 for a delman," Runi said.

Another horse owner, Agus, said the horse-renting business in the housing complex began about eight years ago, but not in the same location.

"We used to operate on a plot of land near the Permata Bank building. We moved here about three years ago," he said.

"And I don't know how much longer the housing complex authorities will let us operate here." (uwi)
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/05/31/horse-riding-all-rage-tangerang.html