Mikrolet drivers protest City Halll policy<\/p>\n
JP\/3\/MIKROLET\/12pt Metroblack<\/p>\n
Mikrolet drivers protest City authority's 'open door' policy<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of drivers of mikrolet minibuses
\nyesterday protested City Land Transportation and Traffic Control
\nOffice's (DLLAJR) ruling which requires them keep their vehicles
\ndoors closed while they are in transit.<\/p>\n
The mikrolet minibuses serve various routes to Kota, West
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
A protester told The Jakarta Post that the protest started
\nyesterday morning when the Kota police ticketed some of the
\ndrivers for not closing their vehicles' doors. He added that the
\nKota police have been ticketing since the door closing rules took
\neffect on Monday.<\/p>\n
The driver, who claimed to represent his co-workers, said that
\nthe police were in error because the new ruling is not supposed
\nto apply to mikrolet minibuses, but to wider-bodied buses only.
\nHe added that Mikrolet drivers are only required to wear uniforms
\nand have their driver's identity cards with them.<\/p>\n
\"And until the end of this month, drivers who do not wear
\nuniforms or have the card are not subject to ticketing, but to
\nwarnings only,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The driver showed a copy of a statement made by M. Hutabarat,
\nthe head of mikrolet division of the City Land Transportation
\nOrganization (Organda DKI), which asked the head of DLLAJR to
\nexclude mikrolet from the ruling because they are smaller than
\neven the average minibuses.<\/p>\n
The statement went on to say that there were not enough
\nconductors available in the mikrolet minibuses to close and open
\nthe doors for the passengers, and that it is impossible to ask
\npassengers to do it by themselves.<\/p>\n
The driver said that only mikrolet serving the Kota route were
\nticketed and they have been so far ticketed by particular police
\nofficers of the Kota subdistrict.<\/p>\n
\"The names of the police officers are Darmawi, the commandant
\nof the Kota branch of DLLAJR, and First Lieutenant Koharuddin,the
\npost commandant of the Kota Traffic Police,\" he told the Post.<\/p>\n
At present, there are six mikrolets serving the Kota route:
\nM39 on the Senen-Kota via Rajawali route, M12 on the Senen-Kota
\nvia Sawah Besar route, M15 on the Kota-Priok via Ancol route,
\nM15A serving the Kota-Priok via Manggadua route, M25 serving the
\nGrogol-Kota route, and M08 serving the Tanah Abang-Kota route.<\/p>\n
According to the driver, he was required to pay Rp 15,600 by
\nthe police who ticketed him for driving with open door.<\/p>\n
\"For picking up or dropping off passengers at places other
\nthan the designated bus stops, I used to pay Rp 10,600 to the
\npolice. It's ridiculous that they now are asking me to pay Rp
\n15,600 simply for not closing the door,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He added that he had been ticketed seven times since Monday.<\/p>\n
One of his friends added that after paying the ticket in the
\nbank, he was asked by the police to pay them Rp 2,000 in
\n\"administration fees.\"<\/p>\n
Up to 2 pm yesterday the City Council and the House of
\nRepresentatives were guarded by riot police and municipal guards
\nin anticipation of possible protests. However no protesters
\nappeared.<\/p>\n
Latest data at the DLLAJR office show that at present, there
\nare 5,783 mikrolets operating in Jakarta, serving a total of 51
\nroutes.<\/p>\n
Strike<\/p>\n
Yesterday, hundreds of mikrolet drivers were reported to have
\nstaged a sit-down strike at the Tanjung Priok bus terminal, North
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
They protested the on-going ticketing of public transportation
\ncrews who drive with doors open. The protest was dispersed
\npeacefully by police and military personnel.<\/p>\n
The drivers included crews of the mikrolet minibuses linking
\nthe terminal to areas such as Cilincing, Koja and Kota.<\/p>\n
\"We're just asking the authorities exclude us from the measure
\nbecause everybody may learn that the interior space of our
\nvehicle is too small to have a conductor to get in to help the
\ndrivers with the doors,\" said Garso, one of the protesters.<\/p>\n
Because of the strike which began at 10:30 a.m., commuters of
\nthe Mikrolet vans had to find other means of transportation.<\/p>\n
\"I had to spend almost one hour waiting for the mikrolet
\nbefore someone told me that the drivers were on strike,\" said
\nErwin, a resident in the Tanjung Priok area. (06\/bsr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mikrolet-drivers-protest-city-halll-policy-1447893297",
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