All Hail the Humble Ojek. There’s a strange law in Jakarta called… | by Matt Yau | Medium

On any given day, the major highways will ban cars with license plates ending in odd numbers. The next, even numbers. Effectively, half of Jakarta’s car population can be wiped off the roads on a whim — Thanos style. The wealthy can skirt this inconvenience by buying 2 cars: one for the odd days, another for the even. For everyone else, a simpler solution prevails. Instead of getting a car, many Jakartans buy an Ojek — a motorbike exempt from the odd-even rule. It makes sense — Ojeks are cheaper and faster than bulky cars. In Jakarta, they outnumber cars 3:1. The impact of Ojeks on the roads is wild. The only word to describe the Ojeks descending upon the roads is a swarm. Highways are a mass of Ojeks, with cars dotted amongst the throng. Narrow alleyways become a game of chicken between Ojeks and pedestrians. Traffic lanes are irrelevant lines of paint; it’s a common sight to see Ojeks driving in the opposite lane when oncoming traffic is sparse. Like most of the world, Jakarta is a h

On any given day, the major highways will ban cars with license plates ending in odd numbers. The next, even numbers. Effectively, half of Jakarta’s car population can be wiped off the roads on a whim — Thanos style. The wealthy can skirt this inconvenience by buying 2 cars: one for the odd days, another for the even. For everyone else, a simpler solution prevails. Instead of getting a car, many Jakartans buy an Ojek — a motorbike exempt from the odd-even rule. It makes sense — Ojeks are cheaper and faster than bulky cars. In Jakarta, they outnumber cars 3:1. The impact of Ojeks on the roads i