The capital of Indonesia suffers from from some of the most infamously awful traffic in the world, inadequate public transportation and terrible conditions for pedestrians. But, if there’s one bright spot in Jakarta’s transportation infrastructure, one thing that we can hold over the heads of rival cities like Bangkok and Singapore, it’s our taxis.
If you pick a legit Jakarta taxi brand like Blue Bird or Express, you rarely have to worry about a driver not using the meter or blowing you off if your destination isn’t convenient to them. And, on top of that, Jakartans pay less for taxis than almost anywhere else in the world.
That’s according to the results of the 2017 Taxi Price Index published by UK-based Carspring. Based on an 80-city survey, the index’s rankings show that Jakarta’s taxis are the 3rd cheapest in the world based upon an average 3 kilometer fare costing $1.47 (Rp 19,577).
The only cities with cheaper taxi rides based on that metric are Mumbai at $1.40 and Cairo at a measly $0.55. On the flip side, the most expensive taxis are in Zurich, where a 3 km ride will cost you an incredible $25.25.
Other Coconuts cities in the top 20 include #7 Bangkok ($1.64), #8 Kuala Lumpur ($1.89), and #20 Singapore ($4.01).
To get those figures, the index “calculated the price of a 3 km ride within the same area (inner city journey) including a 60 second waiting time (20 sec/km) accounting for red lights, stop signs, etc.”
The study also calculated the standard fare from airports to city centers, and Tokyo easily took top place by a mile with a fare of $189.91. Cairo remained the most affordable, with a fare of $4.20.
To show the initial hire and waiting time costs, the report used data given by the official website of each city; and to work out the airport to city fares, information was gleaned from official airport and tourist information sites.
The index only takes into account official taxi company prices and does not include price data from ride-hailing services like Uber.
So buck up Jakartans, it’s not so bad. Next time you’re stuck in a taxi during a diamond-dense traffic jam, think to yourself, “At least I don’t live in Zurich”.
