Pelni, PT KAI struggle against ticket scalpers<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In anticipation of rampant scalping during
\nChristmas, New Year and the post-fasting Idul Fitri holiday,
\nstate railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) and state
\nshipping company PT Pelni are making necessary preparations to
\ncurb the ticket brokers' operations.<\/p>\n
Zaenal Abidin, spokesman of KAI's Jakarta Operational
\nDivision, said the company would move its ticket reservation
\ncenter from Gambir Railway Station in Central Jakarta to the
\ncompany's office on Jl. Veteran, also in Central Jakarta, on Dec.
\n23.<\/p>\n
"We'll print each passenger's name on their tickets," he told
\nThe Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
"To curb their operations, we'll also deploy security
\npersonnel at certain stations to apprehend the ticket scalpers,"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Ticket scalpers have recently become more aggressive, compared
\nto about three months ago. They easily, but clandestinely, sell
\ntickets to passengers who form long queues for tickets.<\/p>\n
Train tickets to Yogyakarta, Semarang in Central Jakarta and
\nBandung in West Java for the departure dates of Dec. 22 and 23
\nhave already sold out.<\/p>\n
Zaenal said the company had repeatedly raided the scalpers,
\nbut to no avail.<\/p>\n
"We have often caught ticket scalpers and handed them over to
\nthe police. But the police released them one week later," he
\nsaid, adding that the ticket scalpers continued their activities
\nsoon after their release.<\/p>\n
He admitted that ticket scalping had involved the company's
\nemployees.<\/p>\n
"We fired five employees during the last festive season, after
\nthey were proven guilty of scalping tickets," he said.<\/p>\n
Zaenal said the company would provide 73 trains, which could
\ncarry 75,139 passengers during the upcoming holidays.<\/p>\n
"We will also operate five additional trains to anticipate the
\nboom in passenger numbers during the festive season. All can
\ncarry 5,502 passengers," he said.<\/p>\n
Zaenal said people could reserve tickets up to a maximum of
\none week prior to their departure.<\/p>\n
Pelni<\/p>\n
Similarly, PT Pelni will also deploy security personnel to
\ncombat rampant ticket scalping.<\/p>\n
"We'll deploy security personnel at ticket counters to prevent
\nthe practice," Pelni spokesman, Sudarsono, told the Post.<\/p>\n
He said the company would also sell 75 percent of the tickets
\nto travel agents, by offering a 2.5 percent commission for each
\nticket sold.<\/p>\n
"But if they are proven to be selling tickets above the ticket
\nprice, we'll cut our contracts with them," he said.<\/p>\n
He said the company had signed contracts with 38 travel agents
\nin Jakarta, out of 266 travel agents throughout the country.<\/p>\n
Sudarsono said PT Pelni would provide 23 ships with a total
\ncapacity of 39,722 passengers for the festive season.<\/p>\n
"We predict an increase in the number of passengers by 26.41
\npercent compared to last year," he said.<\/p>\n
The company, with the approval of the government, would
\nincrease the capacity of its ships to carry up to 25 to 50
\npercent more passengers, he said.<\/p>\n
This is a strong increase compared to the usual raised
\ncapacity of 20 percent.<\/p>\n
"We'll naturally have on board extra life-saving devices such
\nas life rafts and life jackets," Sudarsono said.<\/p>\n
In an effort to prevent rampant ticket scalping during future
\nfestive seasons, KAI would centralize the ticket reservation
\ncenter at its office on Jl. Veteran in Central Jakarta, Zaenal
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
"In the future, KAI's Jakarta Operational Division will
\ncentralize all ticket selling during festive seasons at the Jl.
\nVeteran office," he said.<\/p>\n
"The company expects that the passengers who come to the
\nrailway stations are the ones who will depart."<\/p>\n
"It will prevent ticket scalpers from coming to the station.
\nThe centralization will make it easier to monitor the activities
\nof such scalpers," he said. (asa)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pelni-pt-kai-struggle-against-ticket-scalpers-1447893297",
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