Public bus system substandard, needs overhaul<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A recent accident in which 19 people were killed on a Sinar Jaya
\nbus in Slawi, Central Java, could lead officials to launch an
\noverhaul of the public transit system, which is corroded by
\nillegal fees and weak control over the quality of service.<\/p>\n
An improvement in the public transit system would start with
\npublic buses as they transport the majority of passengers
\ntraveling overland.<\/p>\n
Many public buses are far from being safe or comfortable for
\ntheir passengers, putting them at an unnecessary risk of
\nreceiving poor treatment from the bus crew or becoming a victim
\nof a fatal accident, said one activist.<\/p>\n
"The government has failed to ensure that passengers are
\ntreated as human beings who deserve safety and comfort," said
\nTulus Abadi, an activist with the Indonesian Consumers Foundation
\n(YLKI).<\/p>\n
He blasted the entire public transit system, which he said was
\nin a shockingly poor state.<\/p>\n
Demand for illegal fees is evidenced throughout the transit
\nsystem, starting from route licensing to regular checks performed
\non public transit vehicles for their road worthiness.<\/p>\n
"Regulations for public transit licensing are so weak, and
\ntheir implementation is often tainted with corruption, resulting
\nin crowded public buses on certain routes," said Tulus.<\/p>\n
Irresponsible licensing results in fiercer competition among
\noperators of public buses and other public transit vehicles, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The authorities, he said, also failed to supervise operators
\nof public transit vehicles, and this likely lead to poor driver
\nrecruitment and the use of run-down or poorly maintained
\nvehicles.<\/p>\n
All these factors are common causes behind rampant traffic
\naccidents. Unless these factors are addressed, fatal traffic
\naccidents will continue to haunt the country, where public roads
\nare also poorly maintained.<\/p>\n
According to records from the state traffic insurance company
\nPT Jasa Raharja, at least 50 people are killed every day and
\nhundreds of others are injured across the country, many in bus
\naccidents.<\/p>\n
Last year, for example, traffic accidents claimed the lives of
\n19,241 people and injured some 44,612 people. That figure has
\nincreased from the total for 2001, in which 18,140 people were
\nkilled and 35,959 were injured.<\/p>\n
Jasa Raharja said that the accidents cost the company a total
\nof Rp 232 billion (US$25.8 million) in insurance last year and Rp
\n140 billion the previous year.<\/p>\n
"Stiff punishment, including long jail terms and hefty fines,
\nneed to be imposed on careless operators and drivers to satisfy
\nthe public over the rise in traffic accidents," Tulus said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the head of the legal division at the Directorate
\nGeneral for Land Transportation at the Ministry of
\nTransportation, Bambang Suyono, blamed the current fiasco in the
\ntransit system on Law No. 14\/1992 on transportation.<\/p>\n
He said the law became outdated with the introduction of
\nregional autonomy. Moreover, the law gave too much authority to
\nthe police and less to his ministry, with the bulk of
\nresponsibility falling on his office.<\/p>\n
He said his office was drafting a bill to adjust the 1992
\nTransportation Law to the Autonomy Law and thus give public
\nvehicle operators and passengers stronger legal grounds to act
\non.<\/p>\n
A sociologist with the University of Indonesia, Paulus
\nWirutomo, said that with the current situation, people could not
\nexpect the Ministry of Transportation, the police or even
\nstronger regulations to improve the transit system.<\/p>\n
Paulus said that the people had to act to help create a safe,
\ncomfortable transit system.<\/p>\n
In many cases, he said, passengers were too meek when bus
\ndrivers, conductors or operators behaved inappropriately.<\/p>\n
"When a driver starts speeding or driving recklessly,
\npassengers decline to protest out of fear they will be harassed
\nor rebuked by the driver or other crew members," he said.<\/p>\n
He said there were some instances when the public got out of
\nhand and burned the buses, resulting in a loss of human lives.
\nBut that was more an immediate reaction rather than a
\npremeditated one to pressure bus operators to provide better
\nservices, he said.<\/p>\n
Paulus stressed the need for passengers to unite and act as a
\ngroup in pressuring the drivers, their crew as well as bus
\noperators to be more responsible.<\/p>",
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