PT KAI claims lost revenue is due to non-paying passengers<\/p>\n
Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Purwokerto<\/p>\n
State train operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) is cracking
\ndown on free-riding passengers, whose numbers have increased
\nsignificantly recently, causing the company to suffer large
\nfinancial losses.<\/p>\n
PT KAI president director Oemar Bertho said the operation to
\nput an end to illegal passengers would take place at all railroad
\nstations.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters while making an impromptu inspection of
\nthe Purwokerto railroad station in Central Java, Oemar said fare-
\ndodging passengers could be found not only in economy-class cars,
\nbut also on business and executive-class cars.<\/p>\n
\"We will take stern action against illegal passengers and all
\ntrain crew members who cooperate with them,\" he said, adding that
\nover the last two month the company had lost some 7 percent of
\nits targeted revenue to these passengers.<\/p>\n
\"This year we are targeting an income of Rp 2 trillion. The
\ntarget is subject to monthly evaluation, and in the last two
\nmonths we only able to realize about 93 percent (of the target)
\nas some 7 percent had been lost due to the illegal passengers,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
According to Oemar, there is as yet no data on the exact
\nnumber of illegal passengers riding the trains or exactly how
\nmuch money these passengers were costing the company.<\/p>\n
But he cited Purwokerto as an example of the growing problem.
\nLast month, some 1,120 non-paying passengers were caught on
\nbusiness and executive-class trains in Purwokerto. In February,
\nonly 700 passengers were caught.<\/p>\n
PT KAI's public relations chief in Purwokerto, Supriyadi, told
\nthe press that many of these passengers were fined and allowed to
\nremain on the trains, while the rest were asked to leave their
\ntrain because did not have the money to pay their fines.<\/p>\n
\"The total amount of fines we collected only added up to some
\nRp 80 million, which is far less than we targeted during the
\nperiod,\" said Supriyadi.<\/p>\n
He noted that the crackdown on illegal passengers was being
\ncarried out by about 100 staff members of PT KAI, in cooperation
\nwith special train police.<\/p>\n
\"We have found a surprising number of illegal passengers are
\nmembers of the military or police. We have found it difficult to
\nhandle them,\" he said.<\/p>\n
According to him, in Purwokerto those passengers not paying
\nfares accounts for up to 10 percent of the total number of
\npassengers.<\/p>\n
Oemar said that besides non-paying passengers, the company's
\nfinances were also affected by floods, landslides and damage to
\nrailway tracks in Central Java earlier this year.<\/p>\n
He also said that although gasoline prices had increased, KAI
\nhad no plans to raise its fares because the company did not
\nbelieve the fuel price hike would have much of an impact on its
\nbottom line.<\/p>\n
According to him, the company would likely minimize its
\noperational costs by cutting back on the food and beverages
\nserved on executive-class cars.<\/p>\n
\"I don't think we need to raise our rates. We can still
\nminimize our costs to compensate for the gasoline price
\nincrease,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pt-kai-claims-lost-revenue-is-due-to-non-paying-passengers-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}