Transport

Transport

Majority of Acehnese get around with motorbike, smaller cc’s range most of them are under 250cc. Road condition consist of hillscapes makes 4 strokes are preferred than 2 strokes engine. In riding, helmet are compulsory for the driver, the passenger can go without it. Still this attract lots of ignorance because helmet is still seen as a regulation, not worn for safety reason. Nonetheless, the hot and humid weather often explained how it could be a challenge to wear a full face helmet. Oftentimes those that doesn't wear helmet opt for a songkok instead. Songkok is a religious head wear in a circular form, much like a cap without the front shield. In Aceh, a motorbike for two is often squeezed for three, by far this habit I haven't seen in other parts of Indonesia.


What strike me most is the Acehnese becak. A three wheeler made out of a cart attached to a motorbike. Widely used as a public transport. Formal appearance of it can carry maximum 2 or 3 people, but its flexibility allows 11 passengers at one time. This becak is used to carry passengers, to carry things, as a hawker or a vendor, or a mini transport for goods delivery, and a combination of all of the above.




The official public transport often referred as Labi-labi. Even though it means sea turtle in Indonesian, it doesn’t mean that. This rear entry minibus can carry 10-12 people and more, it depends on the demand. The rack on top is used to carry goods and boxes of the passenger. Since the needs are different, for example from urban country, what the transport used for is quite varied too. Consider if you are a government employee that lives in the suburb, travel to work by a motorbike, at home there’s spare grasslands, and you raise goats, cows, and chicken... then comes to the time the goats has grown and the New year is around the corner. You want to sell the goat in the market. You can’t carry the goat on a bike, can you? So you take... the public transport,.. with your goat.


Although the rules are different, similarities that they share is:




a. The fare are negotiatable, oftentimes, there isn’t a written standard fare, becak for example. It works on an agreed price before it moves based on mutual understanding, or how persistence you are in your bargain. Different price also apply for foreigner.

b. You can bring along just about anything you want to bring. Laptop bag, carpet, kids three wheeler bicycle, coconuts, live chooks, and goats. I assume they don’t transport cows not because they don’t want to, but it is because it doesn’t fit.

c. The flexibility allows this transport to deliver goods, from documents to building material such as cement, plywood, or even your bed. In this case they have act like a courier service or a removalist.

d. If it looks like it fit only three people, and there are four of you, don’t worry, he will fit you somewhere.