Bus fares to increase while thugs still extort drivers<\/p>\n
Leo Wahyudi S., The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Jakarta administration's plan to increase bus fares does not
\nnecessarily mean improving drivers' welfare. Bus and public
\nminivan operators claim the benefits for them are limited as they
\nare also burdened with illegal fees, leading to a high-cost
\noperation.<\/p>\n
Bus drivers complained to The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that
\nthey must allocate between Rp 30,000 (US$3.20) and Rp 50,000 for
\n\"security fees\" given to thugs in certain bus stations and
\nshelters.<\/p>\n
\"I have to pay the thugs nearly Rp 21,000 per day,\" complained
\nNarto, a 37-year-old driver of a medium-sized bus the plying
\nKampung Melayu-Pondok Kopi route in East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Narto, as well as other drivers on the route, has to pay Rp
\n9,000 in illegal fees on each journey from one station to
\nanother.<\/p>\n
During an eight-hour workday -- from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. -- Narto
\npays a total of Rp 30,000 in illegal fees.<\/p>\n
Besides the illegal fees, Narto also pays a Rp 130,000 daily
\nbus rental fee and Rp 90,000 for fuel.<\/p>\n
\"Our spending is very burdensome. I and Subeni, my conductor,
\ncan only have Rp 10,000 for lunch and cigarettes,\" he said.<\/p>\n
In short, Narto and Subeni must collect around Rp 250,000 to
\nearn a Rp 30,000 profit.<\/p>\n
Narto claimed he could not envision a greater profit from the
\nadministration's plan to increase bus fares by between 25 percent
\nand 40 percent following the fuel price hike of 14.46 percent on
\naverage.<\/p>\n
The last time the administration raised bus fares was on July
\n11, 2001, when the increase was between 28 percent and 50
\npercent.<\/p>\n
Rendi, who works on a regular bus serving Grogol, West
\nJakarta, and Kampung Rambutan, East Jakarta, expressed similar
\nconcerns. He needs Rp 30,000 to pay the security fee during an
\neight-hour workday.<\/p>\n
\"It's really burdensome because we still have to pay Rp
\n550,000 for the daily rental fee,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Rendi named six bus stations and shelters -- Jl. Baru near the
\nKampung Rambutan bus station, Halim Perdanakusuma shelter, UKI
\nshelter, Slipi Jaya shelter, Ciputra Mall shelter and Grogol
\nstation -- where thugs at each bus stop regularly demand between
\nRp 200 and Rp 1,000.<\/p>\n
Air-conditioned bus crews have to allocate more money.<\/p>\n
\"We have to give them (the thugs) Rp 50,000 per day,\" groaned
\nWarpu, whose air-conditioned bus serves the Kampung Rambutan to
\nCimone, Tangerang route.<\/p>\n
\"We have to pay them. They don't care if we object. If we
\ndon't pay, the thugs along our route smash up the vehicle,
\nparticularly the windows.\"<\/p>\n
\"If I'm lucky, I can bring home Rp 45,000. Most of the time I
\nearn less than Rp 30,000. How can we survive?\" he said.<\/p>\n
Bus companies have a superannuation scheme under which staff
\ndeposit Rp 10,000 per day. The total amount can be withdrawn when
\nthey quit or retire.<\/p>\n
Unlike regular buses or public minivans, air-conditioned bus
\ncrew do not have to pay daily rental but get a 12 percent
\ncommission from their total daily revenue.<\/p>\n
Besides the illegal fees paid to thugs, bus operators have to
\npay \"coordination fees\" to the City Land Transportation Agency
\n(DLLAJ) and police officers.<\/p>\n
Syam, not his real name, has worked for six years as an area
\nsupervisor at a bus company in Kampung Melayu bus station, East
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
\"The company where I work has to provide Rp 1.8 million per
\nmonth for the officers to oversee our buses operating between
\nKampung Melayu and Tomang, West Jakarta. The 'coordination fee'
\nvaries depending on the area, but the amount is around that
\nfigure,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"However, the company benefits by paying the money. We always
\nget protection and privileges whenever our bus or crew are
\ninvolved in a traffic problem.\"<\/p>\n
Syam disclosed that certain DLLAJ and police officers earned
\nbetween Rp 50,000 and Rp 350,000 from bus companies.<\/p>\n
\"We don't mind paying them because we also need their security
\nservice,\" he said. \"So far, it has worked well.\"<\/p>",
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