Jakarta authorities urge drivers to stop tipping Pak Ogah guides

Jakarta drivers are facing direct calls from municipal authorities to stop giving money to roadside traffic directors known locally as Pak Ogah, as officials cite worsening congestion and a lack of legal authority. Unauthorized street directors have mushroomed across Jakarta’s streets. Jakarta Pramono Anung stated that city streets run smoother without unauthorized guides operating at intersections, oto.detik.com reported.

Jakarta Warns Motorists Against Tipping Unauthorized Traffic Coordinators

The practice of tipping roadside coordinators has become common across Jakarta’s busy corridors, but municipal leaders warn it creates bottlenecks rather than solutions. According to oto.detik.com, the Jakarta Satpol PP used Instagram to urge motorists not to normalize cash handouts, noting that small tips encourage unauthorized traffic management to persist. Giving money may seem trivial, but this habit can encourage the practice of traffic management without authority to continue, the satpolpp.dki Instagram post stated.

Provincial regulations explicitly prohibit these activities. Under Jakarta Regional Regulation Number 8 of 2007 concerning Public Order, Article 7, Paragraph 1, individuals or groups lacking official authority are banned from managing traffic at intersections, bends, or U-turns to collect service fees.

Impact on Jalan HR Rasuna Said

Pramono Anung pointed to recent clearance efforts on Jalan HR Rasuna Said as proof that removing unofficial directors improves vehicle flow, oto.detik.com reported. City administration directed the transportation department to crack down on illegal operators, noting that the emergence of these unauthorized guides only makes Jakarta’s traffic more complicated.

There shouldn’t be any Pak Ogah. Why? That Pak Ogah will get money if there is traffic jam. As soon as the Pak Ogah is gone, now Rasuna Said has become smooth, Pramono said, as quoted by oto.detik.com.

Official Enforcement Plans

Management of public roadways remains strictly under the jurisdiction of designated government agencies. Pramono instructed the Jakarta Transportation Agency to coordinate closely with the Polda Metro Jaya to handle urban transit, aiming for a more orderly capital city. Because I want Jakarta to be neater, everything is handled by the Transportation Service and certainly also with the Polda Metro Jaya for the traffic, Pramono concluded.