Souped-up 'bajaj' in bid for survival<\/p>\n
Wahyuana, The Jakarta Post, Bekasi<\/p>\n
A total makeover may be the answer to the prayers of bajaj
\ndrivers who don't want to lose business but at the same time are
\nunable to replace their Indian-made three-wheelers with the
\nexpensive, locally made kancil (mini-taxi, literally means \"mouse
\ndeer\").<\/p>\n
With the old bajaj being condemned as an irredeemable
\npolluter, the new, improved bajaj is a more economical and
\nenvironmentally friendly vehicle, and also offers more comfort to
\ndriver and passengers alike.<\/p>\n
Powered by a 150cc four-stroke engine that runs on gasoline --
\nwhich is more powerful, yet much cleaner and quieter than the
\ntwo-stroke engine used by the old ones -- the new bajaj are also
\nair-conditioned.<\/p>\n
\"It costs a total of Rp 11 million (US$1,222) to modify
\na bajaj, including accessories such as radio, plus another Rp 4
\nmillion to install a conversion kit to enable the vehicle to run
\non compressed natural gas (CNG), if you want it.<\/p>\n
\"It is much cheaper than buying a Rp 45 million kancil, but
\nworth the effort to meet the city administration's requirements
\nfor public transportation vehicles,\" the brain behind the \"bajaj
\nrevolution\", FX Jacobus Yut, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Jacobus, who is head of the public minivan and three-wheeled
\nvehicles unit of the Jakarta branch of the Organization of Land
\nTransportation Owners (Organda), owns the Eva Maria Garage in
\nKranji, Bekasi, which now specializes in modifying bajaj.<\/p>\n
However, Jakarta's bajaj are not in the fast lane just yet.<\/p>\n
City Bylaw No. 12\/2003 on transportation refers to community
\nservice vehicles, which are defined as passenger vehicles serving
\nrestricted areas. This category excludes three-wheeled vehicles.<\/p>\n
As part of its effort to gradually eliminate bajaj from city
\nstreets, the Jakarta administration has been introducing the more
\nspacious, 400cc four-stroke, four-wheel kancil over the past six
\nmonths.<\/p>\n
Jacobus's optimism was triggered by the warm applause he
\nreceived from City Council members during a demonstration at the
\ncouncil's headquarters on Tuesday, which was followed by a visit
\nby councilors to his garage on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\"The chairman of the council's Commission D, Sayogo
\nHendrosubroto, even suggested that we paint the new bajaj red and
\nwhite, and that we widen the body so that it can take more than
\ntwo passengers,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The chairman of the Organda members' empowerment unit, Hizar
\nGultom, said that the organization had introduced the new bajaj
\nto all 4,000 bajaj owners and 50,000 drivers. He said there were
\n15,000 bajaj in the capital, with each bajaj being driven by
\nbetween two and four drivers in rotation every day.<\/p>\n
\"We hope the administration may reconsider this ... the kancil is
\ntoo expensive and we can't just dump the old vehicles. The
\nmodified one provides answers to all the administration's
\ncomplaints about bajaj,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Should the Jakarta administration agree, Organda will start to
\nmodify the first 1,000 bajaj within the next three months, with
\nthe plan being that all bajaj in the city will be modified within
\ntwo-and-a-half years.<\/p>\n
Jacobus and Hizar revealed that Organda would cooperate with
\nthree Chinese engine producers for the supply of engines at
\nrelatively affordable prices.<\/p>\n
\"The new bajaj has also obtained the support of the
\nAssociation of Indonesian Mechanical Engineers, which usually
\ngives accreditation for innovations in automotive engineering,\"
\nHizar said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/souped-up-bajaj-in-bid-for-survival-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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