Passengers complain about ticket scalpers at PT Pelni<\/p>\n
Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
People wanting to return to their hometowns by ship have
\nalready found it very difficult to buy tickets at the state-owned
\nshipping operator PT Pelni and at travel bureaus.<\/p>\n
\"I'm very disappointed with Pelni's service; they should have
\nbeen better prepared for the peak season like this, but they have
\nnot learned from past experience,\" said Idrus Albar, who planned
\nto return to his hometown in Ternate, to celebrate Idul Fitri
\nwith his relatives.<\/p>\n
Idrus is one of tens of thousands of people who want to
\ncelebrate the religious festivals of Lebaran or Idul Fitri, and
\nChristmas, in their hometowns outside Java island.<\/p>\n
He said last Friday that he had to go back and forth from his
\nhome in Grogol, West Jakarta, to try and book tickets. Having to
\ngo to the PT Pelni ticketing building at Kemayoran on two
\nconsecutive days just to get a form for a ticket, really got on
\nhis nerves.<\/p>\n
\"This is just for the form, not the ticket! When I was here
\nyesterday, they told me they had already run out of forms and
\ntold me to return on (Friday) .... Well, here I am, and they
\nstill don't have any,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Prior to purchasing a ticket, buyers are required to fill in
\nforms detailing their basic personal information, destination,
\nand the desired class.<\/p>\n
In the peak season such as now, filling in the form does not
\nguarantee a seat on the vessel, and the forms of those who are
\nrejected are returned by the office's security guards.<\/p>\n
\"Even if I do get a form, I cannot choose a second-class
\nticket as I've wanted, as they have already sold out. But I'll
\nsettle for any ticket ... as long as I can use it for traveling
\nto my hometown,\" he said, adding that he was wondering why all
\ntickets for ships bound for Ternate were sold out just two days
\nafter the ticket counters had opened.<\/p>\n
\"I'm sure they all went to scalpers. They seem to have bought
\ntickets to almost every destination and are ready to sell them to
\nwould-be passengers at much higher prices,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Tickets for December 10th onward are nearly sold out, both for
\nseats in all classes and in economy, especially for destinations
\nin eastern Indonesia.<\/p>\n
At the Pelni ticketing building in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta,
\nscalpers are too obvious to be missed, openly offering their
\nservices to anyone who will listen. The persistent ones will even
\nfollow potential customers, telling them repeatedly about the
\nguaranteed tickets they have on offer.<\/p>\n
\"Which destination? I still have some class-seats for eastern
\nIndonesia destinations,\" said one scalper when the Post passed
\nhim. But purchasing the tickets from the scalpers means adding
\nanother Rp 100,000 (US$ 10.50) to the original price.<\/p>\n
Uly Simatupang, who, together with her relatives, wanted to go
\nto Medan on Dec. 14 for Christmas, also found it very difficult
\nto buy tickets at travel bureaus.<\/p>\n
\"All the travel agencies I contacted told me that they could
\nnot sell tickets yet. I've been told to call them next week. But
\neven if we get tickets, they are likely to be non-seat tickets,\"
\nshe said last Friday. By \"non-seat tickets\" she meant economy-
\nclass ones, which guaranteed neither bed nor cabin in which to
\nsleep on the ship.<\/p>\n
According to director of PT Pelni Isnoor Haryanto, the
\nshipping company had increased its capacity by 33 percent for the
\nholiday season, prioritizing the most-busy destinations, such as
\nBelawan port in North Sumatra and Makassar, Central Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
From December to Jan. 15, 2002, Pelni will be operating an
\nadditional 29 vessels, and aims to transport 36,796 passengers.<\/p>\n
However, tickets are still scarce and said to be already sold
\nout, even 14 days before the departure date.<\/p>\n
38-year-old Ida, who planned to go to Medan, North Sumatra, on
\nDec. 16 was told that there were no more tickets for that date.<\/p>\n
\"According to Pelni's regulations, tickets are sold 14 days
\nbefore the departure date ... how come tickets for Dec. 16 are
\nsold out already?\" she commented, saying that she would now try
\nto buy a ticket for a bus to Medan.<\/p>\n
\"Although I would prefer to go by ship, I will not buy a
\nticket from scalpers. I don't want to have to pay more, while I
\nstill have to sleep on the floor of the vessel,\" she asserted.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/passengers-complain-about-ticket-scalpers-at-pt-pelni-1447893297",
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