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The busway takes less than half an hour to traverse a route which would normally take more than an hour during peak hours. Construction of the 2nd and 3rd corridor routes of the busway was completed in 2006, serving the route from Pulogadung to Kalideres. The busway serving the route from Blok M to Kota has been operational since January 2004. This has presented an economic opportunity in that if there are only two people in the car, a "jocky" (usually a young man) will offer to sit in the car as it travels through the restricted area. This currently costs around 5000 Rp, and there are many jockies at every entry point to the restricted area. Jakarta's roads are notorious for the behaviour of the traffic; the rules of the road are broken with impunity as bribery is commonplace. Furthermore, in recent years the number of motorcycles on the streets has being growing almost exponentially, ensuring many a problem due to ill-disciplined motorcyclists. A new rule was implemented for motorbikes on 29th November 2006 in Jakarta; motorbikes' front lights must be lit during the day to increase their visibility to other road users. Jakarta's transportation also depends on Priok. The outer ring road is now being constructed and is partly operational from Cilincing-Cakung-Pasar Rebo-Pondok Pinang-Daan Mogot-Cengkareng. A toll road connects Jakarta to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in the north of Jakarta. Also connected via toll road is the port of Merak and Tangerang to the west and Bekasi, Cibitung and Karawang, Purwakarta and eventually to Bandung to the east. Two lines of the Jakarta Monorail are under construction: the green line serving Semanggi-Casablanca-Kuningan-Semanggi and the blue line serving Kampung Melayu-Casablanca-Tanah Abang-Roxy. In addition, there are plans for a two-line subway (MRT) system, with a north-south line between Kota and Fatmawati, with connections to both monorail lines; and an east-west line, which will connect with the north-south line at the Sawah Besar station. The government is also considering waterbus ferries as a cheaper means of transportation along the canals in Jakarta. These project plant considering would begin around 2007-2011[citation needed] The primary airport for Jakarta is Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, one of Indonesia's two major international air gateways. The other airport which serves the city is Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport. Cycle rickshaws, called becak, provide local transportation on the back streets of some parts of the city. From the early 1940s to 1991 they were a common form of local transportation in the city. In 1966, an estimated 160,000 rickshaws were operating in the city; as much as fifteen percent of Jakarta's total workforce were engaged in rickshaw driving. In 1971, rickshaws were banned from major roads, and shortly thereafter the government attempted a total ban, which substantially reduced their numbers but did not eliminate the rickshaws. An especially aggressive campaign to eliminate them finally succeeded in 1990 and 1991, but during the economic crisis of 1998, some returned amid less effective government attempts to control them.
Soekarno-Hatta Airport, named after Indonesia's 1st president and vice-president, is 20 kilometres or 13 miles northwest of Jakarta. By car, a trip into town can take at least 40 minutes and up to an hour when traffic is heavy. The airport is not too large and is easy to navigate for a 1st time visitor. Facilities may not match those in richer countries but they have clear signs and staff happily assist you. You'll find that a commonplace throughout Indonesia is that the country does have it's infrastructure problems, however these are mitigated by the hospitality and courtesy of it's people. 2 terminals serve the international arrivals and departures, while one terminal is for domestic flights. The range and variety of shops at the airport is limited and prices are relatively expensive. However should you need to buy rupiah the moneychangers offer a reasonable exchange rate. Garuda is the largest Indonesian airline and has the most flights to Singapore. Jakarta is well served by other airlines that sometimes offer better fares. Airlines that fly on a regular basis: Japan Airlines, Quantas, Silk Air, KLM, Lufthansa, British Airways and Thai Airways International.
If you have not made arrangements to be met at the airport, the 1st thing you should do upon leaving customs is to walk over to the Bluebird Taxi booking desk from where you can get a chauffeured car. It is not advised for visitors to drive themselves. Bluebird is a reputable company and will make your trip into town that much easier. Bluebird offers 2 options to get to the city. A Goldenbird is a limousine with an hourly rate and a Silverbird is a metered limousine. Both have good drivers though the Silverbird is essentially a large taxi while the Goldenbird is an unmarked car, usually a Mercedes or Volvo. The cost ranges from 80,000 -150,000 rupiah. Porters expect tips between 2,000 and 5,000 rupiah. If you want to keep costs to the bare minimum, then the best option would be to take the air-conditioned bus which departs for the city every 30 minutes. The cost is about 3,000 to 4,000 rupiah for the trip. Ask the airport staff to tell you which of the 5 drop off points in the city are closest to your hotel. Taxis are available. The flag-fall rate is 1,500 rupiah, plus 550 rupiah for each additional kilometer, or about 25,000 rupiah to get to the city center.
Airport porters costs 500 rupiah for a small bag and 1,000 rupiah if each bag weighs more than 20 kilograms. Tipping taxi or limousine drivers is not mandatory, but 500 rupiah is sufficient for a taxi driver and more to the limo driver.
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