Sutiyoso asks council to focus on bus fares<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso wrote to the newly established
\nCity Council on Wednesday asking them to prioritize the city
\nadministration's proposal of putting up the price of bus fares.<\/p>\n
The letter, issued two days after some 160 bus drivers and
\nowners rallied to City Hall and threatened to conduct a massive
\nstrike next week, was signed by Deputy Governor for Development
\nAffairs Budihardjo Sukmadi, on behalf of the Governor.<\/p>\n
The council's provisional speaker, Abdul Aziz Matnur,
\nconfirmed on Wednesday that the council had received the
\ngovernor's letter.<\/p>\n
\"However, we could not reply to the letter or start discussing
\nthe proposal because we are still busy with meetings to establish
\nthe council's five commissions and elect the council speaker and
\nleaders,\" Aziz from the Justice Party (PK) said.<\/p>\n
He said the proposal would not be discussed until the council
\nhad elected a council speaker as well as his or her deputies. The
\ncity representatives also have to be established for the People's
\nConsultative Assembly (MPR). The election of council leaders is
\nto be held on Sept. 14, and the establishment of the city
\nrepresentatives on Sept. 20.<\/p>\n
Former head of the council's Commission D for development
\naffairs, Ali Wongso Sinaga, suggested that the city
\nadministration should comply with the former council's
\nrecommendation.<\/p>\n
\"Governor Sutiyoso has yet to comply with our recommendation
\nthat the city administration subsidize the bus owners, through
\nthe eradication of taxes and levies,\" Ali who now chairs Lembaga
\nPengkajian dan Pemberdayaan Daerah, a research group on regional
\nempowerment, said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
He dismissed speculations that the former council
\nintentionally issued an unclear recommendation to the city
\nadministration to avoid the responsibility and to give extra work
\nto the new council.<\/p>\n
\"It's a very complicated problem. We disagree with the fare
\nhikes as the majority of the city residents are still suffering
\nfrom the economic crisis,\" Ali said.<\/p>\n
\"Many passengers don't even pay the fares because they have no
\nmoney. How can we suggest a price rise in such a situation?\" he
\nasked.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Ali said that bus owners have also suffered from
\nthe crisis. \"They have had to deal with price increases for bus
\nspare parts and for operational costs.\"<\/p>\n
Although the bus owners have suffered, Ali hoped that they
\nwould cancel their plan to stage a massive strike next week.<\/p>\n
Some 160 bus owners, drivers and conductors from bus firms
\nsuch as Kopaja, Metro Mini, ARH, Koantas Bima, Mayasari Bhakti,
\nHiba, Himpurna and Pahala Kencana, threatened to conduct a
\nmassive strike next week if Sutiyoso failed to raise fares.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso's bus fare hike proposal was based on a
\nrecommendation by the Organization of Land and Transportation
\nOwners (Organda), the City Land Transportation Agency (DLLAJ) and
\nthe Indonesian Consumers Organization (YLKI).<\/p>\n
The proposal included an increase in regular bus fares from Rp
\n300 to Rp 500 and an increase from Rp 700 to Rp 900 for non-air-
\nconditioned buses.<\/p>\n
The minibus fares were recommended to increase to Rp 700 from
\nRp 500, while the air-conditioned Patas bus fares were to rise to
\nRp 2,500 from Rp 2,300. The student fare for regular buses was to
\nbe doubled from the current Rp 100. (jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sutiyoso-asks-council-to-focus-on-bus-fares-1447893297",
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