House agrees 25% hike in fares during Idul Fitri<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Legislators have agreed to the government's
\nproposal to increase bus fares by 25 percent during the Idul
\nFitri holiday.<\/p>\n
They also agreed to allow public transportation vehicles to
\ncarry 10 percent more passengers than their seating capacity.<\/p>\n
Members of the House of Representatives' Commission V, which
\noversees transportation, tourism, communications and public
\nworks, reached the agreement during a consultative meeting with
\nMinister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto yesterday morning.<\/p>\n
Director General of Land Transportation Soejono proposed the
\n25 percent hike on Thursday, insisting it was needed to offset
\nthe losses incurred when buses returned empty after carrying
\npeople out of major cities.<\/p>\n
He said the fair increase would also help guarantee passengers
\na more comfortable trip and prevent fares from getting out of
\ncontrol.<\/p>\n
The rise would also give security officials better grounds to
\ntake legal action against violators, he said.<\/p>\n
The special fares will be imposed from 6 a.m. on Feb. 13 until
\n6 a.m. on March 2, and will be based on current bus fares.<\/p>\n
The 10 percent passenger increase will be calculated by the
\nnumber of seats available.<\/p>\n
Golkar legislator Achmadi asked the government to make sure
\nthe 10 percent allowance would not require passengers to stand up
\nduring the trip, especially on long hauls. He did not mention how
\nthis was possible given his recommended increase.<\/p>\n
Soejono estimated the number of bus passengers would increase
\nbetween 5 and 15 percent, requiring his office to provide an
\nadditional 1,000 buses.<\/p>\n
The buses, he said, would be provided by the state-owned PPD
\nand Damri bus companies and the private Mayasari Bhakti firm. A
\ntotal of 48,876 buses, with a capacity of 4.9 million passengers,
\nwill operate in the country during the holidays.<\/p>\n
Starting on Feb. 16 and ending on Feb. 20, East-bound private
\nvehicles and cargo trucks traveling on Java's northern highways
\nwill be required to take alternative routes.<\/p>\n
Special regulations will also be imposed on heavy vehicles,
\nincluding container trucks and trailers. Vehicles carrying
\nimportant import or export goods or carrying cattle and milk will
\nbe allowed through.<\/p>\n
Haryanto told the legislators that there would be no
\nadditional fee imposed on the heavy vehicles. He advised
\nexporters and importers to register for a permit to operate
\nbetween 6 a.m. on Feb. 16 and 6 a.m. on Feb. 20.<\/p>\n
According to Soejono, train passengers were also expected to
\nincrease by 10 percent. The government will provide an additional
\n18 coaches to increase passenger capacity by 150 percent.<\/p>\n
Director General of Sea Transportation Soentoro on Thursday
\nalso informed that state-owned PT Pelni and a number of private
\nfirms will provide 16 additional vessels for the holidays,
\nincreasing capacity by almost 24,000 passengers.<\/p>\n
Some 34 vessels serving remote routes with a capacity of 4,400
\npassengers will also be added.<\/p>\n
Director General of Air Transportation Zainuddin Sikado said
\nhis office would increase the number of flights during the
\nholidays.<\/p>\n
\"We will also lengthen the working hours at our airports,
\nespecially at those expected to be busy during the holiday,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
A total of 86,513 airline seats, an increase of 13 percent,
\nwill be added to the regular capacity of 287,034 seats a week.
\n(pwn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/house-agrees-25-hike-in-fares-during-idul-fitri-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}