Jakarta's busing woes<\/p>\n
Millions of Jakarta commuters drew a sigh of relief yesterday
\nwhen the threatened transportation strike by Organda, the
\nOrganization of Land Transportation Company Owners, did not
\nmaterialize -- or at least not as fully as many had expected and
\nfeared.<\/p>\n
Though the number of vehicles on which a large majority of the
\ncity's population depend for daily transportation to and from
\nwork or school was noticeably less than on normal weekdays, no
\nserious problems occurred.<\/p>\n
For one thing, it seems bus company owners and crews were not
\nfully in accord about how to go about pressuring the authorities
\ninto agreeing to the long needed fare hikes without doing too
\nmuch harm to the public's interests. While reasonable fare hikes
\nare incontestably needed to enable bus companies to survive
\neconomically, many crew members seemed to fear that a strike
\nwould result not only in a loss of income, but a possible violent
\nbacklash from protesting commuters as well.<\/p>\n
But even though chaos was averted this time, the public as
\nwell as the authorities are well advised to keep in mind that the
\nproblem of public transportation in the capital city is far from
\nover. Indeed, unless urgent and effective steps are taken to put
\nthe public transportation system in order, a similar threat in
\nthe not too distant future is likely to occur.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, bringing order to Jakarta's public
\ntransportation system is something that is much easier said than
\ndone.<\/p>\n
On the one side, owners of the private companies that operate
\nmore than 8,000 buses and minibuses have long complained that it
\nis impossible for them to properly maintain, much less renew,
\ntheir aging fleets under the fares currently sanctioned by the
\nadministration.<\/p>\n
On the other side, those who most depend on the system's
\nservices are low-paid wage earners, traders and students for whom
\neven the current fares are a burden to their daily budgets.<\/p>\n
Thus, any fare hike needs to be carefully studied by the city
\nauthorities before endorsement can be granted.<\/p>\n
This conflict of needs is the starting point of a lamentable
\nsituation in which bus owners find it hard to maintain their
\nfleets. Since buses are poorly maintained (and bus company
\npersonnel poorly paid), buses swiftly fall into disrepair. With
\ninsufficient money to buy spare parts, cannibalism occurs. The
\nresult is increasingly un-roadworthy buses, declining service,
\nand hence the public's legitimate reluctance to pay higher fares.<\/p>\n
And so the cycle continues.<\/p>\n
The obvious question is how or where to break this cycle.
\nClearly, better management of bus companies is imperative, but
\nfor such an improvement, money is needed. Perhaps, the bus
\ncompanies, the Ministry of Transportation, and whoever else is
\nresponsible for improving public transportation services would do
\nwell to look at the state railroad company, PNKA, for
\ninspiration.<\/p>\n
In the railroad industry it is no secret that popular routes
\nsuch as the Jabotabek line between Bogor and Jakarta, whose
\nsubscribers are mostly lower-paid government and private company
\nemployees, traders and students, generally lose money. On the
\nother hand, upper-class routes, such as those that run between
\nJakarta and Surabaya or Yogyakarta with their plush air-
\nconditioned cars and luxurious services are good profit earners.<\/p>\n
Those facts considered, it could be that the time has come for
\nthe authorities to experiment by encouraging entrepreneurs to
\noperate more comfortable buses that cater to the better-earning
\npopulation groups in the community -- obviously at commensurate
\nfares. Those earnings could then be used, or taxed, in part to
\noperate low-fare inner-city routes for the larger mass of
\ncommuters.<\/p>\n
But whatever steps are taken, it is clear that something must
\nbe done to improve Jakarta's public transportation system. The
\nsolution needs to provide more comfortable, yet still affordable,
\ntransportation and be profitable enough for operators to properly
\nmaintain their fleets and pay their employees a reasonable wage.<\/p>",
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