YLKI, passengers complain of poor service<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) and train commuters
\nblasted state-owned railway firm PT KAI on Saturday for its
\nfailure to provide good service and facilities for its customers.<\/p>\n
Tulus Abadi of YLKI's legal division said the worst service
\nwas its poor punctuality.<\/p>\n
\"A recent YLKI survey in July this year shows that the
\nfrequency of train delays was rampant with 89 percent of arrivals
\nand 57 percent of departures running late by an average of 20
\nminutes each,\" said Tulus during a dialog held by PT KAI with its
\ncustomers and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).<\/p>\n
Similarly, Ibnu, a resident of Sudimara, Tangerang complained
\nthat besides tardiness, PT KAI also failed to provide a
\nsufficient fleet of trains to transport the large number of
\npassengers safely and comfortably.<\/p>\n
\"The limited fleet for serving commuters results in an
\noverload as many passengers insist on boarding the train as there
\nis no alternative transportation for them,\" said Ibnu, who works
\nat a construction firm in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta. He
\ntravels by train either to go to his office or to return home in
\nTangerang, Banten.<\/p>\n
PT KAI has a total of 395 trains comprising electric trains
\n(KRL) and diesel-fueled trains (KRD) to serve the over 400,000
\ncommuters across Greater Jakarta. Ninety-seven trains are for
\nexecutive class, while the rest of the 298 trains are for economy
\nclass.<\/p>\n
Of the 400,000 commuters, some 70 percent of the passengers go
\neconomy class causing an overload in those cars and leaving most
\nof the executive class cars vacant as only 30 percent of the
\npassengers use it.<\/p>\n
Comfort and safety are a luxury for passengers in the
\nexecutive class.<\/p>\n
Wati, a resident of Serpong, Tangerang, complained of poor
\nfacilities for the passengers in executive class.<\/p>\n
\"Executive class passengers deserve better service as we pay a
\nhigher fare of Rp 8,000 compared to those in economy, who pay
\nonly Rp 2,500,\" Wati said.<\/p>\n
She said passengers paid Rp 1,000 for using the public
\nrestroom.<\/p>\n
\"Facilities like public toilets should be free of charge as
\nthey are included in the higher fare,\" said Wati.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the division head of Greater Jakarta PT KAI,
\nRachmadi said his company failed to have trains arrive and depart
\non time or provide good service to its customers.<\/p>\n
\"We hope we can improve all our shortcomings by providing a
\nmore frequent schedule,\" Rachmadi said, adding that his company
\nplanned to increase the frequency of trains plying the Bogor-
\nJakarta route starting in January next year.<\/p>\n
He brushed aside allegations that his company did not supply
\nenough trains to serve all the commuters.<\/p>\n
\"The problem lies in the amount of commuters who use the train
\nduring rush hour,\" Rachmadi said, adding that his company offered
\ndiscounted fares for the executive class outside rush hour to
\nease the amount of passengers in economy.<\/p>\n
Rachmadi said his company had implemented a new ticketing
\nsystem in June in accordance with a zoning system to boost its
\nrevenue and as part of its effort to improve services.<\/p>\n
\"The tickets are in different colors to indicate the different
\ndestinations and will enable conductors to ensure that customers
\npay the right fare according to the existing rate,\" said
\nRachmadi.<\/p>\n
He said the new system would increase the company's revenue by
\n20 percent to Rp 11.5 billion a month from about Rp 9 billion
\npreviously.<\/p>\n
\"Besides the new ticketing system, we will promote leasing out
\nthe kiosks at our stations to generate additional revenue so that
\nthe pressure on fare prices can be eased,\" Rachmadi said.<\/p>\n
He said his company sorely needed more money to finance
\noperational costs and repair the damage incurred by vandals or
\nresidents along the railway lines.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ylki-passengers-complain-of-poor-service-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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