If You’re Standing at the Bus Door With 10 Stops to Go, We Need to Talk

I swear I’m surrounded by absolute fucken idiots. And no, I’m not saying I’m better than them, it’s just that lately it’s really getting on my nerves. Let me explain.

Just some regular night traffic

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On a daily basis, I prefer to walk and use public transport. I don’t have a car or a scooter. I can afford them, but the traffic here is just unbearable. My primary mode is the Transjakarta bus. Since Transjakarta has its own dedicated lane, it’s a no-brainer for navigating the traffic madness. Or so you’d think.

The real problem isn't the infrastructure but more on the lack of basic manners. Like, it’s common to see people inside the bus standing right at the door even if they have ten stops to go. They are making the bus look packed when there’s actually plenty of room in the back.

Not to mention that most of the time, they’re just oblivious. I actually yelled at someone once because they wouldn't give up their seat for an elderly lady who clearly needed it. What a jerk. He was too busy looking at his phone, ignoring a grandmother who was struggling to balance right in front of him. Meh. Talk about touch some grass!

As for being a pedestrian here in Jakarta, it feels like competing in Ninja Warrior. The sidewalks are a disaster, filled with constant obstacles. You’ve got broken tiles, utility poles planted right in the middle of the path, and street food carts that force you to walk in the middle of the road.

This is actually a sidewalk, by night it turned into bazaar

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And just when you think you’ve navigated the physical obstacles, you hear a horn behind you. It’s a scooter driver who decided the sidewalk is their personal shortcut to bypass the traffic jam. The audacity is breathtaking. They’ll actually glare at you for being in the way on the one piece of pavement meant for walking.

But the true peak of the madness is when it rains. (Good moment to play "Only Happy When It Rains" by Garbage here). The moment it starts raining, it’s like everyone forgets how to drive. Suddenly every underpass becomes a parking lot as hundreds of scooters huddle for cover, blocking the roads and turning a three-lane street into a one-lane crawl. And forget about the dedicated lane for my beloved Transjakarta Bus. The second it pours, cars swerve into the bus lane like it’s a free-for-all, turning our only escape route into the same gridlock we were trying to avoid. It’s just water, people, not lava. Jeez.

When it rains, this area will be full of motorcyles and scooters

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But rainy days or not, crossing the street remains a challenge because of the way these idiots drive. Instead of hitting the brakes when they see a human being trying to cross, these drivers actually floor it. You have to stand your ground and hold your hand out firmly just to get them to stop. It’s pure madness.

I choose this way of life to avoid the horrible traffic jams, but sometimes I wonder if the mental tax of dealing with these idiots is just as high as sitting in a car for three hours.

Was it really too hard to be a decent human being? If you’re on the bus, move to the back. If you see a zebra cross, use the brake. If it rains, don't park under the bridge and block everyone else. It’s not that hard. Or is it?