2022 Volume 14 Pages 2330-2344
Traditional motorboats, known locally as kelotoks, are the main inland waterway transport (IWT) modes in Banjarmasin, Indonesia. Historically, they served as river taxis ferrying local and regional commuters from origin to destinations, including markets, schools, or workplaces, mainly on the Martapura and Barito rivers' riverbanks. However, the increased dependence on land-transport modes has adversely affected kelotok ridership, and subsequently IWT jobs. However, there were a few kelotok drivers/workers who persisted in this occupation. Using information drawn from the thematic analysis of 21 semi-structured remote interviews, this study investigates these remaining drivers/workers' motivations in participating and persisting amidst their precarious conditions and ongoing dynamics happening within the sector. It provides new insights for the study of informal transport in a way that may challenge common accounts of how the workers fare under the absence of government regulation and support, particularly within an understudied sector of IWT.
