Indonesian 'Kancil' soon to replace Indian 'Bajaj'<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Ignoring protests from drivers and owners of the Indian three-
\nwheeled Bajaj, the city administration will issue permits for 400
\nIndonesian-made Kancil next week as alternative transportation.<\/p>\n
"Yes, we will soon allow 400 Kancil to operate in the city on
\nthe condition that 400 Bajaj are taken off the streets," Governor
\nSutiyoso told the press on Friday at City Hall.<\/p>\n
He did not mention when the permits would be issued, but head
\nof the City Transportation Agency Rustam Effendi said earlier
\nthat they would be issued next week.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso said the replacement of Bajaj with Kancil would be
\nimplemented gradually, as the Kancil producer could not replace
\nall 14,000 Bajaj in the city. He also stressed that the
\nreplacement should improve the drivers' income.<\/p>\n
The Bajaj has been a common feature of the city since the mid-
\n1970s.<\/p>\n
In line with the plan, Rustam said his agency had already
\nstarted an operation to seize Bajaj, particularly those being
\noperated without a complete set of documents.<\/p>\n
So far, however, he said only three illegal Bajaj had been
\nseized since the operation kicked off last week.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of Bajaj owners and drivers held a demonstration in
\nfront of City Council and City Hall after Sutiyoso announced that
\nhe would retire the Bajaj and replace it with Kancil.<\/p>\n
"Bajaj will disappear when the Kancil are launched," Sutiyoso
\npledged in early August.<\/p>\n
Rustam has even said that Bajaj would be dumped into the sea
\nif the administration reached an agreement to replace all the
\nvehicles.<\/p>\n
"They could become rumpon (fish traps)," he said.<\/p>\n
Angered by the statements, the Bajaj owners staged the rally,
\nrejecting the plan, particularly because they would each be
\ncompensated Rp 5 million (US$588) for their Bajaj.<\/p>\n
The market price of the vehicle is Rp 18 million.<\/p>\n
They also claimed that the price of a Kancil, at Rp 34 million
\nas offered by producer PT Kancil Automotive Marketing Industries,
\nwas too expensive. The Bajaj owners said they preferred to
\nreplace the two-stroke engine with a four-stroke engine, as it
\nwould only cost them Rp 5 million.<\/p>\n
Another contentious issue was the Rp 50,000 daily rental fee
\nfor a Kancil, as Bajaj are rented at Rp 30,000 per day.<\/p>\n
In addition, the protesters said maintaining a Bajaj, which is
\nmade of steel, was easier than the fiberglass Kancil.<\/p>\n
The administration decided to replace the Bajaj, since the
\ntwo-stroke-engine vehicle contributed to air and noise pollution
\nin the capital.<\/p>\n
Besides contributing to air pollution, the draft bylaw on
\ntransportation currently being discussed by the Council does not
\nlist three-wheeled vehicles as means of public transportation.<\/p>\n
Several non-governmental organizations criticized the draft
\nbylaw for excluding three-wheeled vehicles, such as Bajaj
\nand becak pedicabs, as public transportation.<\/p>\n
In the 1980s, the administration officially banned pedicabs as
\npublic transportation, dumping hundreds of seized pedicabs into
\nthe sea.<\/p>\n
Due to prolonged economic crisis, hundreds of pedicabs
\nreturned to the city's streets in 1998.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesian-kancil-soon-to-replace-indian-bajaj-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}