Bus drivers, commuters fall victim to rate dilemma<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Abbas, a driver of a Mayasari Bakti air-conditioned bus on the
\nroute between Pulogadung and Kalideres bus terminals, along with
\nhis two conductors, were vigilant on Thursday making sure not to
\nmiss a single passenger.<\/p>\n
\"We need to do this to raise our income as the bus operator
\nhad raised the rental fee to Rp 1.85 million (US$207) per day
\nfrom Rp 1.35 million earlier this month due to the fuel price
\nincreases. And there is nothing we can do about it,\" he told The
\nJakarta Post on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Abbas said that bus drivers on the same route had dropped
\ntheir initial plan to stage a strike against the Mayasari Bakti
\nmanagement on Wednesday and Thursday because they had come up
\nwith better ways to deal with the rental fee increase.<\/p>\n
First, he explained, the drivers made a timetable between
\nthemselves so none of them would go on four trips in the day with
\nmost of the 56 passengers seats empty. \"That way we can make sure
\nthat each of us will get enough passengers for every trip,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The other way is to surreptitiously increase the bus fares.
\nThe usual bus fare for an air-conditioned city bus is Rp 3,300.
\nBut now, if a passenger pays Rp 5,000, the bus conductor would
\nonly give Rp 1,500 in change and explain to the passenger that he
\ndoes not have small change.<\/p>\n
\"These days, I would be lucky if I could bring home Rp 20,000
\nafter paying the rental fee to the operator. Most of the time I
\nhave to pay them (bus operator) less and that means I'm in debt,\"
\nAbbas claimed.<\/p>\n
The government had increased fuel and utility prices earlier
\nthis month, but it reviewed the unpopular decision on Monday
\nafter weeks of nationwide protests.<\/p>\n
The price of automotive diesel fuel was cut to Rp 1,650 per
\nliter from the previous price of Rp 1,890 per liter, while the
\nprice of industrial diesel was reduced to Rp 1,650 from Rp 1,860.<\/p>\n
However, the revised price of automotive diesel is still Rp
\n150 higher than the previous Rp 1,490 per liter. Besides the
\nminivan public transportation vehicles, all city minibuses and
\nbuses run on diesel fuel.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, none of the other bus operators at Pulogadung had
\nincreased their rental fee, while Mayasari Bakti management could
\nnot be reached for comment or to clarify whether the new rental
\nfee applied to buses serving other routes.<\/p>\n
A senior official of the Jakarta chapter of the Organization
\nof Land Transportation Owners (Organda), La Ode Djeni Hasmar,
\nadmitted that several bus operators had increased their rental
\nfees, an internal policy over which the association had no power
\nto intervene.<\/p>\n
\"It's a consequence of the fuel price increase. We had
\nrepeatedly asked Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso to allow us to
\nincrease bus fares but he said he had to wait for the central
\ngovernment's decision,\" La Ode told the Post over the phone on
\nThursday.<\/p>\n
Separately, Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) chairwoman
\nIndah Suksmaningsih told the Post that she demanded Sutiyoso to
\nsubsidize the bus fares if bus operators were allowed to increase
\ntheir fares.<\/p>\n
\"The bus fare dilemma makes passengers the victim of the
\nactions of the administration and the bus operators. In the
\nmeantime, I invite bus passengers to immediately file a complaint
\neither with the Jakarta Transportation Agency or with us,\" she
\ntold the Post.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bus-drivers-commuters-fall-victim-to-rate-dilemma-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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