Plan to merge city buses hailed<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): City councilors and a private bus company hailed
\nplans of the city administration to merge the state-owned bus
\ncompany, PPD, with private companies in order to improve its
\nservices to the public.<\/p>\n
\"If the main goal is to improve the transportation management,
\nthe proposal should be supported,\" Muhammad Rodja, councilor from
\nthe United Development Party, told The Jakarta Post over the
\nweekend.<\/p>\n
Councilor Sahala P. Sinaga of the Indonesian Democratic Party
\nsaid that everything must be calculated before the merger and if
\nservices could be improved by the move then it should be
\napproved. Otherwise the idea should be dropped if it only causes
\nmore inconvenience to commuters.<\/p>\n
\"We have to avoid the possibility of travelers in urban areas
\nhaving difficulty in getting public transport,\" Sinaga said.<\/p>\n
Deputy Governor for Economy and Development Tubagus M Rais
\nsaid recently that a team is now studying the possibility of
\nmerging city bus companies as an integral part of efforts to
\nimprove services to the public.<\/p>\n
Jakarta, the most populous capital city in Southeast Asia, is
\nhome to eight million people by night and 10 million during
\noffice hours with the arrival of commuters.<\/p>\n
Over the years PPD has suffered great financial losses due to
\nbad management.
\n According to its management, some 1,400 PPD buses cruise
\nJakarta's streets every day. But informed sources said that PPD
\noperates only 900 buses, saying that 500 of its fleet are idle
\ndue to mechanical problems.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile private companies state that they are ready to
\nmanage PPD if a proposal to merge with them is made.<\/p>\n
\"Our company is ready to manage PPD because for years it has
\nsuffered great losses. It's a pity that a big company like that
\ncould experience a loss,\" Toto, an executive of PT Bianglala
\nMetropolitan, told the Post.<\/p>\n
He explained that PPD could improve its performance if the
\nmanagement were handed over to private companies and services
\nwere improved.<\/p>\n
An executive of Masstrans bus company said that PPD could use
\nthe skill and expertise of private companies' management to
\nbetter its performance.<\/p>\n
\"The PPD could use our skills and expertise in providing
\nbetter service to users,\" an executive who refused to be named
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Joint operation<\/p>\n
On the other hand the management of private companies opposed
\nthe possibility of a joint operation due to an imbalance in
\nrevenues, assets and management systems.<\/p>\n
\"I don't think the proposal for private companies to jointly
\noperate buses will give us more profit because there might be a
\ncompany which is in bad shape which would require us to cover
\ntheir losses,\" said Tursino, an executive of PT Arion which
\noperates 50 buses, yesterday.<\/p>\n
He explained that his company is not afraid of the proposal to
\noperate gas-powered public buses in the city as long it does not
\naffect Arion's routes.<\/p>\n
\"But I believe the government will manage it fairly,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Toto also opposed the possibility of a join operation saying
\nthat it would impair his company.<\/p>\n
\"Why should we merge the company while our performance is
\ngood?,\" he said, adding that this kind of merger will only
\nbenefit companies with poor performance.<\/p>\n
The state-owned bus company, PPD, recently announced that it
\nis studying proposals from a number of private companies to
\njointly operate more than 1,000 gas-powered public buses in the
\ncity.<\/p>\n
PPD said that some private companies, including the Senawangi
\nbusiness group and PT Fajar Utama Mandiri, have submitted their
\nproposals to jointly operate the gas-powered buses.<\/p>\n
The executive of Masstrans buses said that to merge, private
\nbus companies will need to compromise a lot. \"There should be
\ncompromise in managing the buses and the people because each
\ncompany has a different management system,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She gave an example her company implements which is a system
\nin which every employee is required to fulfill a target drawn by
\nthe company and are given incentives.<\/p>\n
\"High incentive is needed to motivate them,\" said the
\nexecutive of the company which operates 48 buses. (yns)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/plan-to-merge-city-buses-hailed-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}