Taxi fares to increase by average of 36 percent<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Taxi passengers in the capital will soon have to spend more money
\nfor their daily transportation as the city administration plans
\nto announce new taxi fares, with an average increase of 36
\npercent.<\/p>\n
Assistant to city secretary for development affairs Ma'mun
\nAmin told the press on Monday that the city secretary's economic
\nbureau had submitted the draft decree on new taxi fares to
\nGovernor Sutiyoso.<\/p>\n
"The draft decree on new taxi fares prepared by the economic
\nbureau has been on the table of the governor," he said, but
\nMa'mun refused to elaborate on the figure.<\/p>\n
According to a source in the administration, the new fares
\nwill be 33 percent higher for the flag fall, from Rp 3,000 (33 US
\ncents) to Rp 4,000, and 38.5 percent higher for the per-kilometer
\ncharge, from Rp 1,300 to Rp 1,800, while the waiting charges will
\ncharge will also go up 38.5 percent from Rp 13,000 to Rp 18,000
\nper hour.<\/p>\n
The new fares are actually lower than those demanded by the
\nJakarta chapter of Land Transportation Owners Association
\n(Organda) -- Rp 5,700 for flag fall, Rp 2,200 per kilometer trip,
\nand Rp 22,000 an hour for waiting.<\/p>\n
Organda chairman Herry Roti cautiously welcomed the taxi fare
\nhike, saying his organization had no other choice, but to accept
\nthe administration's decision.<\/p>\n
"We only hope that the new fares will be immediately enforced
\nbecause taxi drivers and operators have been waiting a long time
\nfor this," he said, while adding that the drivers had complained
\nover the significant drop of income following fuel price hikes
\nlast month.<\/p>\n
The price of premium gasoline increased from Rp 1,800 to Rp
\n2,400 on March 1.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, chairman of the City Transportation Council (DTK)
\nSoetanto Soehodo said that his organization did not propose any
\nfigures for taxi fares because taxis were not categorized as
\neconomy class public transportation and thus did not concern the
\nDTK.<\/p>\n
According to Soetanto, however, the recommendation of his
\norganization is that the administration should only decide the
\nceiling fare so that taxi operators have the opportunity to
\ndecide the fares based on their respective service quality.<\/p>\n
"We think that setting a ceiling fare would be very fair
\nbecause the service quality of each taxi operator is quite
\ndifferent," he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.<\/p>\n
He said with such a ceiling price, taxi operators would
\nconsider their respective level of service before making
\ndecisions on their fares.<\/p>\n
"Those that have good services will take the ceiling fares,
\nwhile those who have lower service quality can decide on lower
\nfares. Such a mechanism will be fair both for users and the
\noperators," he added.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso said early in the morning that he had not read the
\ndraft decree on new taxi fares, but promised to sign it
\nimmediately after he got it.<\/p>",
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