general tips on public transport

TRANSJAKARTA BUS
public transportation in jakarta is neither the best or the worst in asia. here in this huge hectic metropolitan city, public transport is still a major issue, especially for the mass one. therefore the city government is on its way to build an integrated transportation system in the city. that's including the monorail, water way transportation and the transjakarta bus way, which has already been servicing passenger since 2004.

TAXI CAB
in general, taxi rates in jakarta parted in to three; the old rate, the new rate and the premium rate. but in order to avoid being bamboozled - over charged its suggested to take only the blue bird group taxi (new rate : a bit more expensive), they are easily identified with the blue color and the sticker on the front wind shield. or if you want to have a safety as well as comfort at one place, take the silver bird, its the only black colored taxi in town, mostly mercedez benz and other luxury car. but anyway taxi rate in jakarta is one of the cheapest in asia, so don't worry about getting over priced. for the old-cheaper rate it is highly suggested to use only the express taxi (white colored body with yellow sign) or transcab (yellow colored body). for transcab you will not only get the cheapest - old rate but also a cable tv inside, isn't that cool or what?

TRAIN
it is highly suggested not to take the economic class train for both long distant or the commuter one, unless you're a serious-serious adventurer. but don't worry the executive/express train is fairly comfortable and still super cheap. check this site for information related to railway services: http://www.infoka.kereta-api.com/

UNCONVENTIONAL TRANSPORTATION
however not all area are accessible with this "conventional" transportation, so, bemo (tricycle taxi) and ojek (motor taxi) are still the best choice for those who wish to go deeper in to the city. but for these types of transportation, your bargaining skill is definitely needed.