“Difa City Tour and Transport” as a Creative Community-based
Service Industry Made by People with Disabilities in Yogyakarta,
Indonesia
Alan Sigit Fibrianto, Mahendra Wijaya and Argyo Demartoto
Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Indonesia
Keywords: Disability, Community, Transportation Service Industry, Social Movement.
Abstract: People with disabilities have always been minority wherever they are. The existence of people with disabilities
nowadays is related to their past efforts in fighting for their right to be equal to normal people, so that their
presence is recognized and equal without being discriminated. “Difa City Tour and Transport”, generally
abbreviated as DCTT is a new voice, new medium, and even a new social movement as a social criticism
towards the existence of people with disabilities in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. This research aims to find out the
social movement of people with disabilities through DCCT service industry in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. This
research was a qualitative research in the form of case study. The researcher used in-depth interview as the
main data collection technique. The results of the research showed that DCTT was made because of
employment rate for people with disabilities in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. As a consequence of globalization
industry which is competitive, the existence of people with disabilities becomes less recognizable. This
happened because of many factors: 1) employment opportunities, 2) the stigma of people with disabilities, 3)
different type of disabilities, 4) the gap between creativity and policies, and 5) the stakeholders’ influences.
Therefore, DCTT that offers technology-based tours and public transportation to facilitate the mobility of
people with disability becomes a medium for people with disabilities in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is made as
a medium to empower people with disabilities in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. They move independently, from
people with disabilities to people with disabilities.
1 INTRODUCTION
Considering the data cited from Social (Social
Service) of Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta (DIY), it
can be found that DIY Province has disability rate of
25,050. It includes 13,589 males and 11,461 females.
Out of five regency/municipal areas in DIY,
Kulonprogo has 4,399, Bantul 5,437, Gunungkidul
7,860, Sleman 5,535 and Kota Yogyakarta 1,819
people with disabilities. Meanwhile in DIY there are
3,708 children with disabilities. These numbers will
increase. Moreover, according to the Program and
Information sub-division of DIY’s Social Service, the
data is the data of people with disabilities belonging
to poor and needy category. Meanwhile no data
mentions certainly the number of people with
disabilities working. However, the data obtained from
Labor and Transmigration Service of DIY shows that
until today there are 24 companies employing people
with disabilities. Those companies have different
sector backgrounds. The data indicates that 121
people with disabilities have worked in formal sector.
The number of disabled workers absorbed in both
private and public institutions is very limited.
Many studies have been conducted that address
disability issues, both on explanations of disability
community life, to the demands of rights for disability
communities. Like, a study entitled "Self-Acceptance
in Adult Male Accidental Persons with Disabilities"
conducted by Purnaningtyas, which explains the
internal and external factors of self-acceptance and
the dynamics of psychology people with disabilities.
Another research entitled "Public Service for the
Fulfillment of Disability Rights in Yogyakarta"
conducted by Rahayu and Dewi explaining about the
facility development program for the disable
community starting from the provision of
educational, communications, social, and
employment services.
This research was conducted using social
movement theory, and attempted to reveal how this
social movement is present through the people with
Fibrianto, A., Wijaya, M. and Demartoto, A.
“Difa City Tour and Transport” as a Creative Community-based Service Industry Made by People with Disabilities in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Sociology Education (ICSE 2017) - Volume 1, pages 59-63
ISBN: 978-989-758-316-2
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved
59

disabilities in Yogyakarta with “Difa City Tour and
Transport” (DCTT) as their struggling instrument.
Tarrow (1998) defines social movement as the
collective challenge conducted by a group of
individuals with collective objective and solidarity, in
the context of sustainable interaction with elite,
opposition, and ruler. There are four important
keywords: collective challenge, mutual objective,
social solidarity, and sustainable interaction.
Recalling the broad and different perspectives, della
Porta and Diani (1999) tries to bridge a variety of
difference existing by offering at least four main
characteristics of social movements: (1) firstly,
informal interaction network; (2) secondly, collective
feeling and solidarity; (3) thirdly, conflict as the focus
of collective action; and (4) fourthly, prioritizing the
forms of protest.
2 RESEARCH METHOD
In this research, the author employed a qualitative
research method with case study approach. Overall,
the case study case can be justified in certain
conditions: (a) the case raises an important test on the
existing theory, (b) is a scarce or unique event, or (c)
related to the disclosure (Yin, 2015). This research
seeks to explore deeply a social movements of people
with disabilities that occurred in Yogyakarta through
DCTT with the case study method used. This research
was taken place in Yogyakarta. The research subject
or informant included the director and employees of
DCTT. Technique of collecting data used was library
research, observation, interview, and documentation.
Data validation was conducted using source
triangulation, to Yogyakarta government and society
as consumer. Technique of analyzing data involved
data collection, data reduction, data display, and
conclusion drawing or verification.
3 RESULT AND DISCUSSION
The result of research shows that the presence of
DCTT is due to the manpower factor for people with
disabilities in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The swift
competition current among Yogyakarta people leads
the people with disabilities to be sunk in globalization
current. In addition, there are many factors affecting
the people with disabilities: job opportunity,
construction or stigma against people with
disabilities, diverse types of disabilities becomes the
main factor in manpower matter, and the conflict
between creativity and policy, and stakeholders’
effect.
3.1 Competitive Culture
There are so many online transportation providers
today with different institution background: for
example, GO-JEK, GRAB, UBER, and etc. (an
online transportation service in Indonesia). The users
of transportation service can access the transportation
they want easily via cellular phone equipped with
special application feature for reservation anytime
and anywhere. To use this application, the consumers
should have Smartphone.
The swift competition culture also leads the
people with disabilities to participate in such
competitive culture. This presence of online-based
disabled ojek is of course the manifestation of their
attempt of living equally and participating in utilizing
the opportunities amid the globalization current.
‘Ojek’ is a call for a transportation service, generally
two-wheeled, in Indonesia, also can be called as an
motorcycle taxi or taxibike. Otherwise, they will be
left behind as they are cannot adapt to the
globalization current. The presence of disabled ojek
named DCTT is a portrait of new culture from the
disabled people in Yogyakarta replete with creativity
and competitiveness. DCTT raises a theme of touring
around Jogja, and online ojek public transportation.
In addition, this ojek difa also offers a variety of
services such as human picking-dropping, cargo,
jogja tour with various intended tourist destinations,
blind massage, selling the products of disabled
people’s creativity, all of which are packaged into one
package and can be accessed through “difaBike”
application. “DifaBike” application is just like other
application used by online transportation service
provider in general. This application has been
available in playstore, and can be accessed by anyone
using Smartphone.
The main problem they encountered is manpower
problem. Although actually the government has
developed policy related to manpower for people with
disabilities, namely Labor and Transportation
Minister’s Circular 01.KP.01.15.2002 about the
Placement of Labors with Disabilities in Company,
and confirmed with the article 14 of Republic of
Indonesia’s Law Number 4 of 1997 about People with
Disabilities mentioning that “Company should
employ at least 1 (one) people with disabilities
meeting the qualification for corresponding job for
every 100 (a hundred) employees. This was then
revised and governed again in the Republic of
Indonesia’s Law Number 8 of 2016 about People with
Disabilities, in which the word “handicapped” is
replaced with “disability”, and the quota for the
disabled is increased to 2 percents, as governed in
Article 53 clauses 1 and 2. In addition, Article 1
clause 2 of Republic of Indonesia’s Law Number 13
ICSE 2017 - 2nd International Conference on Sociology Education
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of 2003 about Manpower states that manpower
includes the disabled. At DIY level, there is a local
regulation as well, Local Regulation Number 4 of
2012 about the Protection and Fulfillment of Rights
for People with Disabilities. However, the realization
is still very limited with the excuse that no people
with disabilities qualified to fill in the position of
working staff in the existing company. The company
is given right and authority completely to determine
the criteria of people with disabilities to be recruited,
according to the type of job and expertise of
prospective disabled worker.
Social gap also occurs in: 1) the enactment of
quota for disabled workers with percentage specified
for each company meeting the standard; 2) the
determination of criteria for disabled workers
corresponding to the provisions of each company; 3)
the very limited availability of disabled workers
corresponding to the standard competency
determined by each company (the capable and
competent disabled workers have not fulfilled yet the
standard qualification specified). The government is
expected to facilitate the disabled with skills through
training programs corresponding to the company’s
need, mapping the program for the disabled,
implanting motivation and mental reinforcement, and
following-up through the job placement for the
disabled corresponding to the qualification. If these
are done massively from comprehensive
socialization, screening the people with disabilities,
to the programmed implementation as maximally as
possible, it will solve at least a little problem for
disabled workers.
The policy of quota obligation for hiring disabled
workers in the company requires the company
employing the disabled to pay attention to the
disabled workers, for example ramp development for
the disabled workers using wheelchair, special
instrument and equipment needed by the disabled
workers, and etc. In relation to the company’s
accessibility to the disabled workers, the company
also needs additional cost.
3.2 Job Opportunity
So far, people with disabilities access the work realm
difficultly. Many disabled people that should access
job realm as if are faced with the job opportunity
inaccessible to them, so that they cannot obtain job
for their own welfare.
3.3 Construction on People with
Disabilities
Most people’s construction so far considers that
people with disabilities are closely related to the term
disable. Actually, viewed from humanity and positive
side inside us, it can be seen that it is not “disable”
but “has different ability (difable) as reflected on their
figure. Therefore, the mindset of public should
actually be changed in viewing the people with
different abilities, and negative stigma inherent to
them should be changed through a more humane
perspective, trying to position us in their position.
3.4 Diverse Types of People with
Different Abilities
Diverse types of people with different abilities is the
main factor in solving welfare problem for people
with different abilities, particularly in accessing the
work realm, as they should adapt to the competency
and the type of different ability should be adjusted
with the type of job chosen (not all people with
different abilities are facilitated to obtain their right to
job.
3.5 Creativity (Idea/thought)
The emergence of (online-based) ojek difable is a
manifestation of creativity arising among the people
with disabilities themselves. However, their presence,
in addition to be a creative new business, now results
in a new polemics amid Yogyakarta people. On the
one hand, the presence of DCTT as a media of difable
online ojek benefits some certain social groups, but
on the other hand, their emergence is in contradiction
with regulation and policy and results in pros and
cons. The benefits of it include: 1) the availability of
new job opportunity for the disabled; 2) facilitating
the disabled consumers; 3) having a hidden meaning
of vision, “to change the stigma about difable” that is
always identical with the term ‘disable” 4) so far
difable only serves as the service users, but the
presence of DCTT attempts to break the domination
of stigma about themselves, that they are actually able
(may a difable not be ojek service provider?).
Speaking of conflict, it can be seen that: 1) the
presence of DCTT in addition to be in contradiction
with Permenhub No.32 of 2016 about application-
based transportation, constituting a new
phenomenon, it is also in contradiction with PP
Number 55 of 2012 about Vehicle and PP Number 74
of 2014 about Road Transportation, both of which
governs standardization and specification of motor
vehicle and public transportation type; 2) no local
regulation governs the specification of vehicle used
by DCTT or three-wheel transportation, unlike Bajaj
and Bemo in Jakarta and bentor in Medan that are
legal with yellow plat, and Gorontalo has also
released Gorontalo Local Regulation No.6 of 2006 to
govern the bentor as a typical alternative vehicle for
“Difa City Tour and Transport” as a Creative Community-based Service Industry Made by People with Disabilities in Yogyakarta, Indonesia
61

Gorontalo people; 3) the presence of pros-cons within
society (particularly, its relation to other
transportation service provider) and related
government such as Transportation Service and
Police Officers.
3.6 Stakeholders
Many NGOs concern with difable problems: SIGAB,
CIQAL, SAPDA, PPDI, HWDI, Indonesian Blind
Association, Difable Society/Community, private as
supporter and partner, and other business performers
such as motor workshop. The presence of DCTT is
considered as getting less support from government
sector because of incompatibility of policy to the
enacted law.
3.7 Difable Social Movement through
DCTT in Yogyakarta
DCTT can be stated as a new social movement for the
difable community in Yogyakarta. DCTT was
originally an association of people with different
ability in Yogyakarta with diverse disabilities
belonging to physical disability, consisting of 2
criteria: congenital physical disability and accident-
related disability. Departing from a community just
assembling together, it has now developed into a new
productive medium as an industrial company
operating in land transportation called Difa City Tour
and Transport (DCTT). DCTT operates
independently and is created purely from the people
with different abilities (difable) in Yogyakarta.
There are some factors underlying the
establishment of DCTT: firstly, it was initiated by the
founder of DCTT, Pak Triyono, who felt pity to his
difable fellows having disadvantaged life, as they
were not productive because they have no job.
Originally this association was limited to facilitate the
difable to move everywhere (mobile) with a vehicle
modified in such a way that it is compatible to the
need of the difable. Then an initiative arose to teach
the difable to use vehicle and to use modified motor
until they can operate it fluently and apply for
obtaining SIM D (special driving license for difable).
It finally can make them (the difable) mobile, and
recognize their surrounding environment. However
the new problem arose when the fuel was used up, and
ceased their mobility. Finally, Pak Triyono thought of
how these difable can get job by keeping mobile with
their vehicle. Then, Pak Triyono initiated to create
ojek service with the difable being the drivers, and
named this community Ojek Difa, and then renamed
it with Difa City Tour and Transport.
Secondly, DCTT is the medium of empowering
the difable in Yogyakarta. DCTT creates an
application just like ojek online emerging widely
today in order to be adjusted with time development
and to follow the market place, with “difaBike
application” that can be downloaded though playstore
in both Android and i-Phone smartphone. Some menu
features are offered from passenger picking-
dropping, cargo, and tour around Yogyakarta city. In
addition to facilitating their members to work as ojek
service, DCTT also facilitates other difable outside
DCTT in order to be integrated through “difaBike”
such as blind massage, selling some products from
difable SMEs in Yogyakarta promoted through
“difaBike” application.
Thirdly, DCTT serves also as the education media
for their members. There is one program in DCTT, in
which all difable take English course in one language
learning center in Yogyakarta. The difable are trained
to speak English fluently in order to be able to
communicate with foreign tourists using their service.
In addition, the difable are also taught to use language
correctly and well, to treat their customers friendly
(character education), because they come from
different disability background.
Fourthly, DCTT facilitates a variety of consumers
using ojek difa service, particularly those difable
ones, even some of its fleets are intended specifically
for the wheel-chair users. DCTT tries to create an
accessible and difable-friendly transportation vehicle
for any category of difable. Even DCTT is ready to
cater to the difable customers from picking up them
at home, delivering them everywhere, to getting them
back home. DCTT considers that there is a limited
number of public transportation accessible to the
difable, particularly the wheel-chair users. Thus,
DCTT is expected to help the difable in Yogyakarta
to enjoy transportation service they want.
Fifthly, DCTT is present as the social critique. For
DCTT, when they cannot get job in private companies
or when the government responds less actively to the
difable’s access to job realm, the only way is to create
their own job opportunity. The presence of DCTT is
result of the Yogyakarta difable community’s
dissatisfaction with the government paying less
serious attention to their right, as they want
reasonable life and equality with other normal
community, including in the term of access to job
realm as the form of equalization for the difable as the
part of society.
Sixthly, the presence of DCTT is a new
breakthrough and new social movement for the
difable community. DCTT is also a portrait of a large
number of protests and other movement related to the
difable’s life sustainability particularly in Indonesia.
DCTT tries to break the domination of cultural
construction within society still seeing the difable as
the weak and disabled one. The presence of DCTT of
course generates a question of how can the difable
ICSE 2017 - 2nd International Conference on Sociology Education
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provide ojek transportation service. Distrust and
negative perception always arise on DCTT. This
perception occurs not only in general society but also
in the government that should be the protector for its
people without discrimination. It is this that the
difable try to resist, as the manifestation of their
struggle as the minorities.
The role of social movement is no longer doubted
in affecting public policy and state overall. Even
some famous social scholars recognize social
movements as the important agent of change within
society. They see social movement as one main way
of reorganizing the modern society (Blumer); as a
creator of social change (Kilian); as historical actor
(Touraine); and as the agent of change in political life
or the carrier of historical project (Eyerman and
Jamison). Even some others said that “mass
movement and conflict resulting is the main agent of
social change” (Adamson and Borgos) (Sztompka,
2004). Schumaker in Burstein, et.al. (1995) suggested
that there are some typologies as the effect of
successful social movement in affecting the policy.
Firstly, access responsiveness, indicates the extent to
which the authority owner (target) is willing to hear
the action organization’s demand. Secondly, agenda
responsiveness is the extent to which the target or
authority owner is willing to put the demand for
action to its political agenda. Thirdly, policy
responsiveness is when the authority owner adopts
new policy (particularly legislation) congruent to the
action’s demand. Fourthly, output responsiveness is
when the authority owner implements new policy
effectively. Fifthly, impact responsiveness is the
extent to which the action or political system response
successfully relieves and addresses the action’s
demand (Manalu, 2009).
4 CONCLUSIONS
The presence of DCTT is due to manpower factor for
difable in Yogyakarta. There are some factors
becoming the problems for difable community: job
opportunity, construction or stigma on the difable,
diverse type of disability, and contradiction between
creativity and policy, and some stakeholders’ effect.
DCTT is a new social movement of the difable
community in Yogyakarta aiming to get
government’s and society’s recognition and support
for its existence. There are some factors underlying
the establishment of DCTT in Yogyakarta: 1)
mobility factor of the difable and manpower problem
for the difable; 2) DCTT serves as a medium of
empowering the difable in Yogyakarta; 3) DCTT
serves as a media of educating its members; 4) DCTT
attempting to be a public transportation vehicle
friendly and accessible to the difable; 5) DCTT is
present as social critique; and 6) the presence of
DCTT is a new breakthrough and new social
movement for the difable community, particularly in
Yogyakarta.
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