New bus permits 'not based on needs'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Chairman of the Organization of Land
\nTransportation Owners (Organda) said yesterday that
\nthe addition of permits for new vehicles was not based on
\napparent needs.<\/p>\n
This was one weakness in public transportation management
\nwhich led to last week's strikes, Aip Syarifuddin said in a press
\nrelease yesterday.<\/p>\n
\"Severe competition,\" he said, has led vehicle owners \"to try
\nevery possible way to get lucrative routes\", but he did not
\nelaborate.<\/p>\n
The result of new permits issued, he said, was that new
\nvehicles operated in or near existing, lucrative routes
\novercrowded with passengers.<\/p>\n
Another weakness in transportation management was lack of
\nsupervision away from bus terminals, he said, which has resulted
\nin the mushrooming of minivans with no route permits operated by
\nunregistered drivers.<\/p>\n
Rumors<\/p>\n
Although there may have been third parties and rumors of new
\nbuses plying similar routes, he said, Organda had recognized the
\nabove weaknesses.<\/p>\n
The organization also admitted that many owners used permits
\nto operate new vehicles on already crowded routes, while
\noperating their old minivans with the same permits, because the
\nroutes were very profitable.<\/p>\n
Aip also said that a special team on bus routes from the City
\nLand Transportation Agency (DLLAJ) had held their first meeting
\nThursday.<\/p>\n
\"To prevent similar incidents happening again, the team has
\nagreed to meet once a week,\" he said. The meetings aim to make
\nsure that increases in permitted vehicles on routes are based on
\nthorough considerations.<\/p>\n
\"Insya Allah (God willing), Organda will always pay attention
\nto the welfare of drivers...and the interest of passengers,\" Aip
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
For the past few weeks, bus and minivans drivers have demanded
\nOrganda and DLLAJ act more transparently in issuing route permits
\nand make known the number of vehicles allowed on certain routes.
\nThey said DLLAJ was too lenient in issuing permits.<\/p>\n
A councilor of the United Development Party, Djafar Badjeber,
\nhas accused DLLAJ of \"collusion\" with bus owners in the issuance
\nof permits.<\/p>\n
J.P. Sepang, DLLAJ's chief, said the agency had not issued
\npermits for new routes in the past two years.<\/p>\n
Sepang said new vehicles were added to cover routes which had
\nnot been covered before. (10)<\/p>",
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