Bribing officials cheaper than buying train tickets<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Trains are the cheapest and quickest transportation means for
\ncommuters in the capital, when compared with public minivans,
\nbuses or taxis. For only Rp 1,000, at the cheapest, people can
\nreach their destination.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, cheap fares are still not enough for people
\nliving in Greater Jakarta. Many of the passengers do not buy
\ntickets. Most of them prefer to pay the onboard ticket
\ncollectors.<\/p>\n
"I prefer to give my money to the ticket collector instead of
\nqueuing to buy a ticket at the station," said Handoko, a regular
\ncommuter who lives in Tigaraksa housing complex, Tangerang, west
\nof Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Another passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, recalled
\nthat several years ago, ticket collectors tried to avoid
\nreceiving money from passengers.<\/p>\n
"Now I assume they don't feel ashamed about it. I have seen
\nthat more and more passengers prefer to pay the ticket
\ncollectors," said the 35-year-old passenger.<\/p>\n
Ticketless passengers should be fined 500 percent of the
\nticket price, should they be unable to show their ticket. By
\npaying Rp 1,000, happily received by ticket collectors,
\npassengers can travel unimpeded to their destination.<\/p>\n
Edi Harsono, state-owned railway company PT KAI employee at
\nKebayoran Lama station in South Jakarta, estimated that only 40
\npercent of passengers bought tickets.<\/p>\n
"The other 60 percent prefers either to pay the ticket
\ncollectors or avoids them altogether," he said.<\/p>\n
On average, 56 trains per day stop at Kebayoran Lama station.
\nThey comprise seven cars, each of which can carry over 100
\npassengers.<\/p>\n
Of the 56 trains, 45 travel from Kota station, West Jakarta,
\nto Rangkas Bitung in Banten. The ticket price ranges from Rp
\n1,000 to Rp 2,500.<\/p>\n
PT KAI could have earned Rp 68.6 million in income daily from
\nthe commuter trains alone if all passengers had bought tickets.
\nBased on Edi's estimate of only 40 percent of passengers buying
\ntickets, the company could collect only Rp 27.44 million.<\/p>\n
Another employee at PT KAI, who spoke on condition of
\nanonymity, said the money given by passengers had gone to ticket
\ncollectors, train drivers and certain officials at the stations.<\/p>\n
A ticket collector, who also wished to remain anonymous, said
\nhe could not impose a 500 percent fine for ticketless passengers
\non board as it would take too long, given the overloading of the
\ncars. But he did not say why he kept the money for himself.<\/p>\n
Wardah Hafidz, chairperson of the Urban Poverty Consortium,
\nsaid the officials at railway stations persisted in the practice
\nfor their own benefit.<\/p>\n
"They could have stopped doing it if they had wanted to," she
\nsaid, adding that a poor ticketing and control system had enabled
\nsuch practices to flourish unchecked.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bribing-officials-cheaper-than-buying-train-tickets-1447893297",
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