Getting around Jakarta

There are traffic jams everywhere.  You may think a short distance of 1km, how bad can it be?  You will be surprised.  There are traffic jams everywhere.  I mean, EVERYWHERE.  As soon as you leave your hotel, you enter a traffic jam.  No kidding.  As such, plan to stay as close as possible to where you need to be.

Most websites recommend to take only Silver Bird, Blue Bird, Express, Gambia taxis.  They are metered rather than the driver negotiating a price with you.  Silver Bird taxis are Mercedes taxis.  They are from IDR1500 per trip.  Blue Bird starts from IDR6000 per trip.  Pusaka taxis also belong to Blue Bird Group.  I personally have encountered Express and Pusaka drivers who didn’t want to turn on meter and wanted to negotiate a price.

My advice is: if you are stuck in a place with perhaps not many taxis, and after encountering a few drivers who do not wish to turn on the meter, then go with it and pay a flat rate.  But do bargain down the price they ask.