'Angkot' cretae havoc on the streets<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Almost empty angkutan kota, or angkot for short -- intra-city
\npublic minivans -- await passengers in haphazard lines at the
\nSlipi intersection in West Jakarta, causing bumper-to-bumper
\ntraffic during peak hours.<\/p>\n
The sight is a common one across the city, as angkot drivers
\nstop at will pick up as many passengers as possible, even forcing
\nalready boarded passengers to wait until the vehicle is full. As
\nsoon their minivans are packed, they speed off to destinations
\nwithout considering the passengers' safety.<\/p>\n
Although this means of public transport has contributed to the
\ncapital's chronic traffic problems, the angkot is still popular,
\nparticularly in residential areas, as it can drop passengers off
\nin their neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
A lucrative business, the number of vehicles and routes have
\nbeen multiplying out of control recently.<\/p>\n
According to several angkot operators at the Slipi
\nintersection, approximately 900 No. 11 angkot serving the Tanah
\nAbang-Meruya route and another 500 No. 09 serving the Tanah
\nAbang-Kebon Jeruk route.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Transportation Agency data, however, shows only 360
\nNo. 11 angkot and 389 No. 09 angkot.<\/p>\n
"I must compete with other drivers. This is the only place
\nwhere I can expect to pick up a lot of passengers, so I stop to
\nwait for them," said Yanto, a No. 11 driver, who stopped right in
\nthe middle of the Slipi intersection, backing up traffic.<\/p>\n
He said he must give Rp 100,000 (US$10.75) every day to his
\nboss, the owner of the vehicle.<\/p>\n
"Besides, I need to take home at least Rp 40,000 to feed my
\nfamily. With this stiff competition, how do you expect me to do
\nthat?" he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Didi, who owns 23 No. 11 and No. 09 angkot, said many of the
\nvehicles were operating illegally.<\/p>\n
"I think at least 200 angkot operate without permits ... the
\ntransportation agency doesn't conduct any regular checks.<\/p>\n
"An official from the agency told me that no more additional
\nunits would be allowed to operate on the routes, but a fellow
\noperator just added several new angkot to his fleet by paying a
\nRp 100 million bribe for each car."<\/p>\n
The public transportation vehicle head at the Jakarta
\ntransportation agency, Bambang Gardjito, said the office did not
\nlimit the number of vehicles per route, because the maximum
\ncapacity of the route depended on public demand.<\/p>\n
"We don't want to be rigid in limiting the number of angkot,
\nbecause the number of passengers is growing. However, we must
\nfirst conduct a survey as to whether the route needs additional
\nangkot," he said.<\/p>\n
This policy, however, opens up the possibility of bribery
\namong those who wanted to profit from busy routes.<\/p>\n
An executive at the Organization of Land Transportation Owners
\n(Organda), who requested anonymity, acknowledged that the
\ntransportation agency was rife with bribery.<\/p>\n
"There is a regular 'fee' paid by angkot owners to maintain a
\nrelationship with officials so they can continue to exploit
\nprofitable routes, and they can expand their fleet as much as
\nthey want. There is no such thing as a survey to determine
\nwhether an area needs new vehicles," he said.<\/p>\n
Bambang rejected the allegation, however, arguing that the
\nagency had an administrative procedure for applying for new
\nroutes and additional vehicles.<\/p>\n
"We charge no fees for either application. We charge them a
\nmere Rp 50,000 per car as an operational levy, nothing more."<\/p>\n
His statement made several angkot owners burst out laughing,
\nfor they shared similar experiences in the difficulties they had
\nwith the agency, including high monthly fees and vague procedures
\nfor renewing permits annually.<\/p>\n
"I have to pay various fees that have no clear purpose, such
\nas monthly contributions to various cooperatives and annual fees
\nfor renewing permits and roadworthiness certification," said
\nDidi.<\/p>\n
"Every time I want to renew a route permit, I have to obtain a
\nrecommendation letter from a particular transportation
\ncooperative -- for which I have to pay," he said.<\/p>\n
He said he spent at least Rp 200,000 per vehicle per year for
\nthe process, even though the official fee is only Rp 40,000.<\/p>\n
Pardede, an angkot owner in Pondok Gede, East Jakarta, said an
\noperational license for new vehicles to ply existing routes would
\ncost him Rp 100 million, including the cost of the vehicle.<\/p>\n
"I have to spend millions of rupiah for the permit. I don't
\nknow the exact amount, because the agency has appointed middlemen
\nto take care of all new vehicle applications," he said.<\/p>\n
Arif, an angkot owner in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, said
\nthat even without the levies, operational and maintenance costs
\nhad hurt public transportation operators since the economic
\ncrisis started in 1998.<\/p>\n
"We simply charge the driver higher rental fees. It up to them
\nwhether they can meet the required fee or not. If they can't, I
\ncan always find somebody else," he said.<\/p>\n
On the several routes researched, the Post found that it is
\ncommon for the driver to pay Rp 100,000 to Rp 150,000 for daily
\nvehicle rental, plus Rp 90,000 for fuel. In order to take home
\nsome earnings, they must make at least Rp 250,000 from early
\nmorning to midnight.<\/p>\n
With the obvious lack of either monitoring or control by the
\ncity administration, while the angkot business fulfills the
\ndemand for cheap transportation, it also runs at the expense of
\npassengers and the public as drivers try hard to make ends meet,
\ncompounding traffic along the way.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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