Taxi fares unaltered until meters reset<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Although Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso has issued a gubernatorial
\ndecree setting out maximum taxi fares effective Tuesday, taxi
\nfirms have yet to raise the fares as they will need at least
\nthree days to reset their meters in accordance with the new
\ntariffs.<\/p>\n
\"No operators raised the fares today ... We need time to adjust
\nour meters in line with the new fares. Taxi passengers will
\ncontinue to enjoy the current fares, at least for the coming two
\nor three days,\" said Ateng Aryono, the head of the taxi section
\nof the Jakarta branch of the Organization of Land Transportation
\nOwners (Organda DKI).<\/p>\n
Under the new rules, taxi passengers will have to pay Rp 5,000
\nfor the flag fall and a per-kilometer charge of Rp 2,600 compared
\nto the current flag fall of Rp 4,000 and per-kilometer charge of
\nRp 1,800. In addition, the hourly waiting fee has been increased
\nto Rp 25,000 from the current Rp 18,000 per hour.<\/p>\n
According to Ateng, once Organda received a copy of the
\ngubernatorial decree, it would issue a directive for the
\nimplementation of the decree by taxi operators.<\/p>\n
\"The taxi operators are free to decide whether they will apply
\nthe new charges or not,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Jakarta Industry and Trade Agency director Ade
\nSuharsono said that as of Tuesday afternoon, his agency had yet
\nto receive any request for the resetting of meters from taxi
\nfirms.<\/p>\n
\"The resetting of the meters is carried out based on requests made by the
\ntaxi operators. This is not a mandatory policy. Operators of old
\ntaxis who fear that they will find it hard to get passengers with
\nnew the fares can maintain the current fares,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said that his agency was ready to reset the meters of all
\nthe taxicabs operating in the city \"within only a week.\"<\/p>\n
There are 42 taxi firms running a total of 26,000 cabs in the
\ncity.<\/p>\n
Many taxi drivers have opposed the increase, saying that it
\nwould make it even more difficult for them to find passengers.<\/p>\n
\"Even with the current fares, many passengers are complaining
\nabout the high cost. We are also seeing fewer passengers. The new
\nfares will certainly kill business for us,\" said Harahap, a
\ndriver with the Dian Taksi Group.<\/p>\n
He was alluding to the first taxi fare hikes on March 30 this year
\nwhen the administration raised the ceiling by an average of 36
\npercent.<\/p>\n
He blamed tougher competition in the city taxi business owing
\nto an influx of cabs into Jakarta from neighboring cities like
\nBogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi.<\/p>\n
In Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi, there are at least 15
\ncompanies operating 17,000 cab, many of which also operate in the
\ncapital.<\/p>\n
Harahap also complained that the recent gasoline increase had
\nsignificantly reduced his daily earnings as he had to fork out Rp
\n140,000 a day for fuel compared to Rp 70,000 before the hike.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Transportation Agency said that the demand for
\ntaxis in the capital was growing by 6.5 percent annually. It
\nestimated that the number of people using taxis would reach
\n703,510 per day this year. Based on the assumption that each taxi
\ncould transport 32 people per day, it estimated that the city
\nneeds at least 27,435 taxi cabs on the road.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/taxi-fares-unaltered-until-meters-reset-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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