Viral: Clearly underage child photographed driving a public transport minivan in Bandung

Photo: Twitter / @dianmeindra
Photo: Twitter / @dianmeindra

Underage children driving motorized vehicles is unfortunately a very common sight in Indonesia, but one kid in the city of Bandung, West Java took it to a whole new level of wrongness by taking the steering wheel of angkot public transport minivan.

Yesterday, a Bandung netizen took a photo of a kid he described as “not even 15 years old” behind the wheel of an angkot minivan. A local radio station was mentioned in the tweet and the photo soon went viral on social media.

While it’s difficult to determine the kid’s exact age, it’s clear that he can barely see over the steering wheel, which could mean that he could be significantly younger than 15 (assuming he doesn’t suffer from stunted growth or something similar).

Netizens condemned authorities for letting a clearly underage child drive an angkot minivan, while others said they had also seen underage angkot drivers elsewhere in Bandung.

Bandung’s Transportation Agency confirmed the credibility of the photo.

“This is a heavy blow for the Transportation Agency and all transportation stakeholders who are trying to improve the reputation of public transportation,” said Didi Ruswandi, head of Bandung’s Transportation Agency, as quoted by Detik today.

The identity of the child driver is not known, but Didi said that the agency is going to fine the actual driver of the angkot that presumably allowed the kid to drive.

Angkot minivans are a cheap public transportation option in Indonesia. Many of the vans are shoddy and the drivers are reckless and rarely observe traffic laws. They will often stop in the middle of the road to pick up or drop off passengers.

In order to keep the wheels turning and make more money, it’s common practice for angkot drivers to let others – friends, relatives – drive their minivans while they’re off duty. Often, the substitute drivers don’t have the required licenses, as is apparent in the case of this underage driver.

Despite their glaring problems, angkots continue to be in high demand while many regional governments, including West Java, do little to improve their quality. Meanwhile, ride-sharing apps, which provide a much needed alternative means of transportation to angkots and other woefully insufficient public transportation options, are still in regulation limbo after Bandung officials said they would be banned.



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