Administration may review bus fare hike
Administration may review bus fare hike
JAKARTA (JP): The city is considering reviewing an initial
plan to double the fare on city buses in the capital, an
executive said on Monday.
Head of the city's land transportation division of the
Ministry of Communication, Feisal Amir, said that the strong wave
of public objections against the plan had forced the city to
reconsider the hike.
"From what I read in the media, city residents were so angry
about the plan. What if the proposal became a reality?" Feisal
told The Jakarta Post by phone.
"The city administration, therefore, will definitely take
people's opinions into consideration," he added.
Feisal, however, refused to elaborate on whether the plan
would be revoked or only postponed for a while.
As reported earlier, the ministry planned to hike the fare for
regular buses in Jakarta from Rp 300 (US four cents) per
passenger to Rp 900, non-airconditioned express and limited
(PATAS) buses from Rp 700 to Rp 1,350, minibuses from Rp 500 to
Rp 1,150 and mikrolet (minivans) from Rp 800 to Rp 1,350.
The ministry planned to increase bus fare from late this month
and continue to hike the rate in stages during the year.
The fare for regular buses, for instance, was initially set
for Rp 600 this month before a hike to Rp 900 later.
Minister of Communications Giri Suseno Hadihardjono said his
main concern was city commuters witnessing a serious drop in the
number of operational buses, as bus owners would no longer
operate their fleet due to the skyrocketing price of vehicle
spare parts and new buses as well as the declining number of
passengers.
Data from Organda revealed that of 21,987 buses registered
here, only 70 percent, or 15,390 vehicles, are still operating on
the city streets since the economic crisis hit the country in
July 1997.
The number of buses operating on the streets has been dropping
each day.
Unlike the past few months, commuters nowadays have to wait
hours before reaching their destination due to a limited number
of buses available.(ylt)