Passengers, bus crews unhappy with new fare<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): City bus crews and passengers expressed
\ndissatisfaction on Monday with the new bus fares, saying they
\nbrought no significant change in service or income for the crews.<\/p>\n
Interviewed separately, many of the bus drivers and their
\nassistants said the new fares, which came into effect on Sunday,
\nwere only beneficial for bus owners.<\/p>\n
Regular commuters, while differing in their reasons, said the
\nnew fares gave nothing back to passengers.<\/p>\n
Adi, a passenger, complained about the crew of a Kopaja
\nminibus plying the Kota-Ciledug route, saying he was told to get
\noff the vehicle and take another Kopaja minibus at Kali Angke,
\nWest Jakarta, due to space limitations.<\/p>\n
\"I just paid the new fare of Rp 700, but see, there's no
\nimprovement in service at all,\" he said after leaving the
\nminibus.<\/p>\n
Based on Gubernatorial Decree No. 815\/2000, fares were hiked
\nfrom Rp 300 (4 US cents) to Rp 500 for regular buses; Rp 500 to
\nRp 700 for minibuses; Rp 2,300 to Rp 2,500 for Patas AC air-
\nconditioned limited buses; and from Rp 100 to Rp 200 for
\nstudents.<\/p>\n
Patas regular buses will maintain their Rp 700 fare and be
\nallowed to operate for two more years before converted into
\neither regular buses or Patas AC buses. Minivans will continue to
\ncharge Rp 1,200 for distances of up to 14 kilometers.<\/p>\n
Despite the new fares and the view that service has not
\nimproved correspondingly, most buses were crowded on Monday to
\nthe point that people were hanging from the doors of buses, both
\nregular and PATAS AC air-conditioned ones.<\/p>\n
According to the gubernatorial decree, Patas AC buses are
\nprohibited from carrying more passengers than there are seats,
\nwhile regular buses can carry more passengers then they have
\nseats, though it is forbidden for passengers to be hanging out
\nthe doors.<\/p>\n
Buses from Kota were crowded, as were those heading to Blok M,
\nCiledug and Ciputat in South Jakarta. Some buses even appeared to
\nlist to the left because of the number of passengers crowed on
\nthe steps by the doors.<\/p>\n
It was also apparent some passengers were not aware of the new
\nbus fares. Budi said he was surprised to learn the fare for Patas
\nAC buses had been increased.<\/p>\n
\"I took PPD 81 AC plying the Grogol to Depok route this
\nmorning and found the company had increased the fare from Rp
\n2,300 to Rp 2,500,\" said Budi, an employee at private oil company
\nPT Santa Fe.<\/p>\n
Not all buses implemented the new fares as spelled out in the
\ndecree, continue to charge passengers the old prices.<\/p>\n
The City Land Transportation Agency earlier ordered all bus
\noperators in the capital to follow the gubernatorial decree in
\norder to avoid clashes with passengers.<\/p>\n
For bus crews, the main objection to the new fares was that
\nthey did not guarantee a significant increase in their daily
\nearnings. What the new fares really mean for most bus crews is
\nheated arguments with passengers unaware the fares have been
\nincreased.<\/p>\n
A driver's assistant on a Metro Mini public minibus traveling
\nbetween Rawamangun and Manggarai, Henson Sinaga, said he was
\nunhappy with the fare hikes because it meant numerous disputes
\nwith passengers.<\/p>\n
\"I don't know how many times I should argue with passengers
\nwho refuse to pay the new fare.\"<\/p>\n
A similar complaint was uttered by Heru Usbandi, the driver of
\na Patas AC bus on the Rawamangun-Grogol route.<\/p>\n
\"The decision is not profitable in the eyes of drivers,
\nbecause it only affects the amount of money the bus company
\nmakes. Previously (this amount) was set at Rp 555,000 per day,
\nand now we have to collect Rp 675,000 for them every day.<\/p>\n
\"Of course, it's a burden for us, and at the same time there's
\nno improvement in our income,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sukardi, a Kopaja bus assistant, conceded that bus crew were
\nconfused by the fare hikes.<\/p>\n
\"We may lose part of our earnings because the bus owners
\nincreased the fees from Rp 110,000 to Rp 170,000 a day, while we
\ncan't expect the passengers will pay the new fares.\"<\/p>\n
Sukardi, who works on a bus serving the Blok M-Cilandak route
\nin South Jakarta, said the new fares had created a time bomb. \"We
\nwill protest next week if we can't bear the burden caused of the
\nnew fares.\"<\/p>\n
Executives of the Jakarta chapter of the Organizations of Land
\nTransportation Owners asked bus operators on Friday not
\nimmediately to hike the daily fees they charged their crews.<\/p>\n
\"The operators should increase the target by increments of Rp
\n5,000 or Rp 10,000 per day before reaching their new targets,\"
\nsaid Dian Sugianto of the organization.<\/p>\n
\"The daily targets vary depending on the routes and the
\ncondition of the buses,\" he added. (asa\/ind\/nvn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/passengers-bus-crews-unhappy-with-new-fare-1447893297",
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