Quarreling marks first day of new fares in city<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Arguments and negotiation among passengers and
\ndrivers colored the first day of the new fares announced on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, passengers attempting to pay the outdated fares
\nquarreled with bus crews who told them of the repeated
\nannouncements on television.<\/p>\n
\"Well I don't know about it and I don't watch television,\"
\nsnapped one bus passenger on a Metro Mini plying the Blok M -
\nSenen market route, for which fares have been raised from Rp 300
\nto Rp 400.<\/p>\n
Passengers on larger buses were more willing to comply with
\nthe increase from Rp 250 to Rp 300.<\/p>\n
Bus crews refrained from questioning the people claiming they
\nwere students, who paid Rp 200. The government announced that the
\ncheaper student fares would remain at Rp 100 to Rp 200.<\/p>\n
Taxi drivers negotiated fares with passengers, as most
\ncompanies have yet to change the flag fall on the meters. The
\nflag fall has been raised from Rp 900 to Rp 1,500, and the fare
\nfrom Rp 450 to Rp 550 per kilometer.<\/p>\n
\"I have to wait hours in line to get the meter changed,\"
\nDjulfian, a President Taxi driver said. \"So for now it's up to
\nyou to decide how much you want to pay me.\"<\/p>\n
Bluebird, Kosti and Express taxi drivers were among those who
\ncharged the previous fare, saying their employers have yet to
\nenforce the new ruling.<\/p>\n
Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto said the
\nflag fall has been increased 66.7 percent to overcome drivers'
\nreluctance to take passengers short distances.<\/p>\n
Some taxi drivers hoped that passengers would pay them more
\nthan the new fares to compensate for the fact their employers
\nhave already raised daily rents. Others weren't that concerned
\nabout tips because they don't expect the taxi companies they work
\nfor to raise rents until after a transition period of at least
\nfour months.<\/p>\n
One taxi company has published a list of the old and new fares
\nfor its drivers. Enterprising vendors are selling copies of the
\nlist for Rp 500 to Rp 1,000 to taxi drivers from other firms.<\/p>\n
At the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport illegal taxis
\ncharged Rp 40,000 to reach Kebayoran Baru in South Jakarta. The
\ndrivers insisted their fare was based on the previous standard
\nfares.<\/p>\n
They said the drivers of the legal taxis were in the habit of
\nrefusing to use the meter and charging Rp 41,000 for the trip.
\nThis is a frequent practice at the airport because the legal
\ndrivers say they have to wait up to four hours to get passengers.<\/p>\n
Given the hike in the flag fall, one driver estimated that
\nsoon bargained fares could reach Rp 50,000 from the airport to
\nKebayoran Baru.<\/p>\n
Local legislators are now urging the administration to
\nanticipate possible concerns among transit crews and the public
\nthat the prices of fuel and staple foods will rise as well.<\/p>\n
\"The transportation fare increases will affect the inflation
\nrate, which will then influence the price of goods,\" said Lukman
\nMokoginta, who chairs the Indonesian Democratic Party faction in
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
In Semarang, Central Java, councilor Karseno, who chairs the
\nlocal commission on public welfare, expressed concern that the
\nfare increases do not reflect improvement of public
\ntransportation, Antara reported.<\/p>\n
\"The fare increase follows the darkest chapter of our history
\nof public transport, the sinking of the Gurita ferry and the
\nrecent Kramatdjati bus accident,\" Karseno said referring to the
\ndisasters which claimed a total of hundreds of lives.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta chapter of the organization of privately-owned
\npublic transportation, Organda, urged owners not to raise rents
\nfor at least one month.<\/p>\n
However drivers of the Mayasari company said rents have
\nalready been raised.<\/p>\n
Salahuddin, a conductor of a Mayasari bus linking the Kampung
\nRambutan-Grogol route, confirmed that the company has raised the
\nrent.<\/p>\n
\"But only few passengers pay the new fares of Rp 700 (up from
\nRp 500). They get cross if we ask for more,\" Salahuddin said.<\/p>\n
In the provinces authorities were cautious, although Haryanto
\nsaid the fares are effective today.<\/p>\n
In Riau, the public relations officer of the provincial office
\nof the Ministry of Transportation, D.M. Simanjuntak, said
\nauthorities have yet to hold a meeting to set the new fares.<\/p>\n
He said the increases for Riau must take into account the fact
\nthat the fares are already considered too high.<\/p>\n
\"This is because we are near Singapore,\" he said.<\/p>\n
In Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra, Kamaruddin, the head
\nof the provincial branch of Organda said fares will be raised
\ngradually.<\/p>\n
This is to prevent drastic increases in the prices of goods,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Governor Surjadi Soedirdja urged the public not to
\nover react to the fare hikes.<\/p>\n
\"The fares to transport goods are not increased so it would be
\nillogical to increase their prices,\" Surjadi said.<\/p>\n
Haryanto also responded to fears that because the fares for
\nstudents have not been increased, the crews of transit vehicles
\nwill refuse to pick them up more often.<\/p>\n
Students have often complained of being stranded because bus
\ncrew prefer to take passengers paying the full fare.<\/p>\n
\"There is no excuse for not taking students, because full
\nfares are already cross-subsidized by the fares charged on the
\nair-conditioned express buses,\" Haryanto said. (team)<\/p>\n
Inflation -- Page 9<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/quarreling-marks-first-day-of-new-fares-in-city-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }