For most people, an angkot minivan ride is nothing but an uncomfortable, sweaty yet convenient way to get from point A to point B. But one driver is doing his best to change that perception by trying to make a difference for his community.
Muhammad Pian Sopian drives an angkot on the Soreang-Leuwi Panjang line in Bandung. Lately, he has received an overwhelming amount of praise from netizens across Indonesia for creating a small shelf in the back of his angkot that can hold books for passengers to read.
It may be a simple act, but Muhammad’s intention is clearly resonating with many people in a country that’s not big on reading (a Unesco study in 2013 showed that only 1 in 1,000 Indonesians read for leisure on a regular basis). The photos above were uploaded by Muhammad’s wife, Elis Ratna Suminar, and have gone viral in Indonesian social media in a matter of days.
“It had been our dream for a long while. We’ve only just managed to pull it off,” said Elis when contacted by Detik today, before adding that the angkot library has been serving passengers for around 2 months.
Elis said the idea for the angkot library came about because Muhammad was inspired by her desire to boost literacy in their community. Elis, who works as a librarian in a local primary school, has long been delivering books to villages in the area in a motorcycle in addition to her day job.
“My husband said, ‘why is it just you who’s doing something? I want to get involved so that people have more desire to read’,” she said.
Passengers generally appreciate being able to read the books in the angkot, especially as a way to kill time during traffic jams. The books are usually varied and are changed everyday to keep the collection fresh. Elis said that some have even put in requests as to what books they’d like to read in the angkot.
Hail to the angkot driver, angkot driver man, indeed.
