Passengers demand better service before fare hike<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Wawan must spend more money on transportation because the bus
\nbetween his home and workplace takes a detour from its stated
\nroute, so he must alight and get a minivan to reach his
\ndestination.<\/p>\n
\"Everyday I go by Kopaja B93 bus plying the route from
\nCengkareng in West Jakarta to Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta, but
\nthe driver makes a detour into Roxy, West Jakarta, meaning that I
\nhave to take another minivan to reach my workplace in Tanah
\nAbang,\" he told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.<\/p>\n
An apparel trader at the market, Wawan has to spend Rp 2,000
\n(US$0.22) to get there, when in fact he should only have to spend
\nRp 1,000 if the bus complied with its mandatory route.<\/p>\n
Bus drivers abandoning their passengers is but one example of
\nhow bus operators in Jakarta have not served the public interest.<\/p>\n
Apparently turning a blind eye to the services that they have
\nyet to improve, bus operators with the public transportation
\noperators association (Organda) recently demanded a 50 percent
\nincrease in bus fares, and threatened to suspend their operations
\nif the demand was not met.<\/p>\n
\"It has happened in the last five years, and still persists
\nuntil now,\" Wawan said, referring to the tactics used by bus
\ndrivers to drop off passengers before completing their route.<\/p>\n
He said that the first time he experienced it, he had to argue
\nwith the bus crew who would finally help find another bus for
\nfree.<\/p>\n
\"But over time, they simply didn't care anymore and we
\n(passengers) just grew tired of arguing with them all the time.
\nWe resigned to finding other public transportation to reach our
\ndestinations,\" Wawan said in dismay.<\/p>\n
He was quick to add that the same thing happens when he heads
\nhome from work at night.<\/p>\n
\"I take Kopaja B95 bus plying the route from Tanah Abang to
\nKalideres in West Jakarta, but the driver just stops the trip in
\nCengkareng instead.<\/p>\n
This means that those who live in Kalideres, must take another
\nbus before they can arrive at home at a decent hour,\" he said,
\nadding that passengers had to take three different vehicles from
\nTanah Abang to Kalideres bus terminal.<\/p>\n
Given the high cost resulting from the bus drivers'
\nunwillingness to complete their routes, Wawan said that his
\nneighbors in Cengkareng -- a couple who also own a stall in Tanah
\nAbang market -- had decided to move to Kota Bambu in Central
\nJakarta which is adjacent to the Tanah Abang market.<\/p>\n
There is not much passengers can do about such problems with
\nthe mandatory routes, said an elderly man on board of a bus
\nplying the route from Tanah Abang to Senen in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"If there are only two passengers left on the bus, and it is
\nstill halfway to the bus terminal, the driver will just drop them
\noff. If the passengers are lucky enough, the conductor will find
\nanother bus for them,\" said the man, who wished to remain
\nanonymous.<\/p>\n
He also pointed out that traffic jams had also prompted bus
\ndrivers to abandon the routes which they are supposed to take.<\/p>\n
\"Some buses plying the route from Grogol in West Jakarta to
\nKampung Rambutan in South Jakarta has to make a turn in Cawang,
\nEast Jakarta, because of the heavy traffic congestion on the way
\nto the bus terminal,\" he told the Post.<\/p>\n
Both, however, agreed that the route violation showed a
\nnegligence on the part of bus operators to the rights of
\npassengers in getting a decent service.<\/p>\n
\"Organda has done nothing to improve the service for
\npassengers, therefore their demands for a fare increase is
\nunjustifiable,\" Wawan said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/passengers-demand-better-service-before-fare-hike-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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