House approves temporary 25% bus fare hike<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government will allow bus operators to
\nincrease bus fares by 25 percent for seven days prior to Idul
\nFitri and 10 days after the holiday, which falls on Feb. 9 and
\nFeb. 10.<\/p>\n
Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto told reporters
\nafter meeting with President Soeharto yesterday that the House of
\nRepresentatives had approved the increase.<\/p>\n
\"I have approached the House, which in principle approves of
\nthe decision,\" Haryanto said, without mentioning when he met with
\nHouse members.<\/p>\n
The fare increase came at the request of the Association of
\nLand Transportation Owners (Organda), whose Jakarta branch had
\nbeen asking for a 50 percent increase.<\/p>\n
Aip Syarifuddin, chairman of the Jakarta branch, said making
\nthe increase official would help prevent bus operators (drivers,
\nconductors and their assistants) from raising their fares
\nillegally.<\/p>\n
However, the fare was not welcomed by everyone, including the
\nCity Council, which originally rejected the request.<\/p>\n
Council member Hasan Daisy of the United Development Party
\n(PPP) faction said the fare hike would only burden travelers.<\/p>\n
\"A 50% increase will strangle the poor and those who cannot
\nafford a sudden hike,\" Hasan argued.<\/p>\n
Lukman F. Mokoginta, from the council's Indonesian Democratic
\nParty (PDI) faction, concurred, saying that Organda could not
\nguarantee that bus operators would not increase fares own their
\nown.<\/p>\n
Haryanto said yesterday that the philosophy behind increasing
\nthe fares is to support bus operators because most buses heading
\nback from West, Central and East Java to Jakarta after Idul Fitri
\nwill be empty.<\/p>\n
\"Organda (the central office) agrees with the 25 percent
\nincrease,\" he said.<\/p>\n
When asked to predict the traffic situation before and during
\nthe Idul Fitri holidays, Haryanto said that the northern route
\nwould be packed. \"The number of vehicles could reach 150,000 per
\nday,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The northern route, locally known as Pantura, goes along the
\nnorth coast from Jakarta to other towns in West, Central and East
\nJava.<\/p>\n
Traffic would be heavy, he said, but not complete congestion.
\n\"Where it is normal to go at 60 or 80 kilometers per hour, cars
\nwill probably only be able to move at 10 kilometers per hour,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Haryanto reminded drivers about the number of fatal accidents
\nin 1996, saying that 13,697 traffic accidents were recorded
\naround the nation during last year's Ramadhan and Idul Fitri
\nfestivities. The accidents officially claimed 9,747 lives, while
\n8,083 were hospitalized for serious injuries. (sur)<\/p>",
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