Oplet Si Doel (Morris 1968) Papercraft Model by Wongday

25 Oct, 2021

History of Oplet

Oplet, once served as a convenient public transportation in Jakarta. Now replaced by mikrolet. In the 1960s and 1970s oplet became the most popular public transportation in Jakarta. Medium and large buses are still rare. At that time, the route that most oplet traveled was Jatinegara – Kota. The route is Jatinegara Station via Matraman Raya, Salemba Raya, Senen, Pasar Baru continues to rotate in Harmoni.

After the Kampung Melayu terminal was established, the existence of oplets got more places. Other routes are also available in several areas, such as Kampung Melayu – Tanah Abang, Kota – Tanjung Priok, and Tanah Abang – Kebayoran Lama.

Oplet's name was raised again when in the 1990s RCTI aired the soap opera 'Si Doel Anak Sekolahan'. Oplet is a public vehicle that has one door at the back. The door is the entry and exit point for passengers. On the front there are also doors, namely on the right and left. One passenger may sit next to the driver. Generally, the oplet contains about 10 people. Uniquely, almost the entire body of the oplet is made of wood. So are the windows. To close and open the window, passengers just lift or lower it. The windows are not made of glass or plastic, but of wood and some kind of leather so they are not transparent. The gas tank is on the inside, right between the passenger's legs.

Oplet has a very unique turn signal - a turn signal - located outside the right and left sides. If you turn right, a small yellow stick will rise up like a portal. So is the one on the left. The oplet horn is also unique because it is located on the outside. Wearing it must be squeezed because it is made of rubber. The sound is teot..teot. There are many interpretations of the name oplet. Some say it comes from the name Chevrolet or Opel. Even from the word auto let. Most of the outlets are Morris and Austin brands. Among the common people, oplet is also called ostin (from the Austin brand).