Almost every local I have met tells me to take only Gamya and Blue Bird cabs. Yes I know, Blue Bird in Hokkien is, tee hee. Blue Birds cost more but are recommended.
Apparently, many of the other taxi companies are less than clean and very often smell bad. So avoid the smelly cabs.
The only other halfway decent cab competitor to Blue Bird are the white Express cabs. Express cab drivers keep their cabs clean because they get to own it after 5 years, it seems. But many say they will still swear by Blue Bird only.
Do make sure you see that the Blue Bird logo is on the cab door, because there are many pseudo-blue cabs around too.
There have been cases of cab drivers from less than reputable companies driving passengers into dark places to be robbed by accomplices dashing into the cab, so be careful.
Jakarta really needs a subway or some form of mass rapid transit, man. The Bus Rapid Transit they have seems to be bursting at the seams and unable to cope. I hear locals avoid taking the buses too, if they can afford to. Pickpockets and fighting gangs of boys are common, it seems.
We were driving around Jakarta and I learned that Metro buses are the kings of the road and drive any way they like. If you get into any car accident, just tell the insurance company a Metro Mini bus caused it. Even if you had crashed into a wall, just say it was a Metro Mini bus. The insurance company will not ask any questions.
Motorbikes and mopeds in Jakarta are psychic. They will move off at the traffic light a good 10 to 15 seconds before it turns green in their favour. Either that or they are riding in a different timezone.
The most exciting vehicles though, are bajaj (pronounced Bah-Jai). These 3-wheeled scooters are only for the brave and adventurous. Only the bajaj driver and God knows when a bajaj is going to suddenly turn or swerve.
There is supposedly a three-person rule during peak hours to deal with the traffic jams in Jakarta. You must have at least 3 people in the car during morning and evening peak hours in the city. You can avoid this by engaging the help of "jockeys". These people will sit in your car for a small fee, so that you can fulfill the requirement. As long as you do not mind a stranger in your car.
