The becak driver carrying the schoolgirls smiled at me

Although I had seen them in Jakarta, it was only in the residential areas that I saw Becak because it was forbidden to drive on the main streets. But here in Cirebon, I see them all the time. They often ride on the main street called Jalan Siliwangi, which stretches through the town.

And because they are bicycle cabs, they are powered by human power, so as if to mock my expectation that they would only carry one passenger or two at the most, I saw a whole family riding in one Becak. The drivers here are all very fit.

The driver of the Becak I was crossing at the intersection was one of those able-bodied people. There were a number of high school girls in the seats of the Becak as it slowly crossed the large intersection. Five school girls, all wearing the same kind of uniform and bright white hijabs, were riding in one becak.

If Becak was only riding on a flat road, it might be okay, but on a slope, it would be hard to go forward and even harder to stop. Despite my worries, the driver smiled at me when he noticed my camera. Carrying five school girls was probably a piece of cake for this driver.

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