A Jakarta taxi driver protest against ride-hailing apps like Uber created chaos in the Indonesian capital as thousands of drivers brought traffic to a standstill, reported the
BBC News.
Protestors crowded the streets and video footage showed some picketers attacking taxi drivers not participating in the demonstration. Some protesters allegedly smashed windows and mirrors of taxis still picking up passengers, said the
Jakarta Globe,
Taxi drivers argue that the apps put them at a disadvantage because Uber and Grab drivers do not pay the same taxes and have the same regulations as taxi drivers. Some said the apps have made it difficult for them to earn a living.
"They are destroying us," Salahuddin, who uses one name, told the BBC. "We pay tax but because Uber uses private cars they don't. I am fighting for my survival."
The Globe said the protest comes after a government decision last week to allow the app-based transportation companies to operate as a cooperative.
The protest, though, drew anger among people trying to get to work and around Jakarta. Feni Freycinetia told the
Jakarta Post that she was forced to take a longer route to her job.
"They forced the passengers to get out of the angkot, then reprimanded the driver for not joining the rally," Freycinetia told the Post.
Muhammad Zamzam Amani, 26, told the Post that his employers told him not to attend a meeting at a hotel in Kuningan, South Jakarta to avoid the chaos.
"The managers told all staff to stay in the office after one of our colleagues was attacked by a mob of protestors," Amani said.