Bus strike set to continue<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Dozens of minibus crews at the Blok M bus terminal remained on
\nstrike for a third consecutive day on Thursday protesting the new
\nbus routes designated by the City Land Transportation Agency,
\nleaving hundreds of passengers stranded.<\/p>\n
The crews said they would likely stay on strike for several
\nmore days or until the city administration met their demands to
\ngive them back their old routes.<\/p>\n
\"We will continue to strike and stage rallies until the agency
\nre-imposes our old routes and revokes the new routes,\" Butar-
\nbutar, the driver of the S-69 minibus serving the Blok M-Cileduk
\nroute, told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Under the new regulation, 10 minibus routes, especially those
\nheading for Rempoa and Cileduk are required to pass through Jl.
\nBarito and Bulungan after they leave the bus terminal instead of
\npassing the intersection of Jl. Trunojoyo and Sisingamangaraja.<\/p>\n
The routes affected are 69, 70, 613, 74, 608, 71, 72, 609,
\n611, and 610.<\/p>\n
\"We refuse to take the new route as it is too quiet, less
\npassengers will use our minibus,\" Butar-butar said.<\/p>\n
His colleague, Subagyo, concurred, citing that his turnover
\nhad sharply plummeted to Rp 90,000 from Rp 150,000 on Tuesday
\nwhen the new route was imposed.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Sumadji Bolawi, deputy chief of Traffic and
\nTransportation Control Unit at the City Transportation Agency,
\nplayed down the crews' statements, saying that it was normal and
\nonce passengers are used to the new routes, their regular
\nturnover would be similar.<\/p>\n
\"It is normal that they will get less passengers (in the
\nbeginning) given that the route is not yet well known to the
\npublic,\" he argued.<\/p>\n
Sumadji said the new routes were created to help ease the
\ntraffic congestion at the intersection of Jl. Sisingamangaraja
\nand Jl. Trunojoyo.<\/p>\n
Sumadji asserted that his officers would remain tough in
\nimposing the new ruling, and added that Governor Sutiyoso had
\nearlier expressed his support of the new ruling.<\/p>\n
\"Let them go on (with the strike). We'll see who is the
\nstrongest. Should they persist, we might void their route
\npermit,\" he stated despite the fact that the authority to issue
\nnew permits is held by the city administration.<\/p>\n
Sumadji said his office had asked for a helping hand from the
\npolice, military, and private transport agencies such as Mayasari
\nand Steady Safe to provide alternate vehicles to transport
\nstranded passengers.<\/p>\n
But, hundreds of passengers were seen desperately stranded at
\nthe vicinity of Blok M bus terminal and along Jl. Hassanudin, Jl.
\nTrunojoyo, and Jl. Kyai Maja as a handful of alternative buses
\nand trucks could not accommodate them all.<\/p>\n
\"This is very annoying. I've been waiting for almost two hours
\nhere. I don't know when it (the minibus) will return to operate,\"
\nsaid Sri, while holding her baby.<\/p>\n
\"I had hoped that this could be solved immediately. Yesterday,
\ndue to the strike, I had to walk miles away to look for an
\nalternative form of transport,\" said Ferry, a security guard at
\nCawang in East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Separately, Taman Puring police subprecinct chief Adj. Comr.
\nTornagogo said police would back the implementation of the new
\nroute as the ruling was part of the city administration's policy.<\/p>\n
\"It is the police's main task to enforce the government's
\npolicy on one hand but on the other hand to prevent the
\ndemonstration from turning violent,\" he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
He refused to give comment further, saying anything else was
\nbeyond his authority.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bus-strike-set-to-continue-1447893297",
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