'Angkot' cretae havoc on the streets

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta

Almost empty angkutan kota, or angkot for short -- intra-city public minivans -- await passengers in haphazard lines at the Slipi intersection in West Jakarta, causing bumper-to-bumper traffic during peak hours.

The sight is a common one across the city, as angkot drivers stop at will pick up as many passengers as possible, even forcing already boarded passengers to wait until the vehicle is full. As soon their minivans are packed, they speed off to destinations without considering the passengers' safety.

Although this means of public transport has contributed to the capital's chronic traffic problems, the angkot is still popular, particularly in residential areas, as it can drop passengers off in their neighborhoods.

A lucrative business, the number of vehicles and routes have been multiplying out of control recently.

According to several angkot operators at the Slipi intersection, approximately 900 No. 11 angkot serving the Tanah Abang-Meruya route and another 500 No. 09 serving the Tanah Abang-Kebon Jeruk route.

Jakarta Transportation Agency data, however, shows only 360 No. 11 angkot and 389 No. 09 angkot.

"I must compete with other drivers. This is the only place where I can expect to pick up a lot of passengers, so I stop to wait for them," said Yanto, a No. 11 driver, who stopped right in the middle of the Slipi intersection, backing up traffic.

He said he must give Rp 100,000 (US$10.75) every day to his boss, the owner of the vehicle.

"Besides, I need to take home at least Rp 40,000 to feed my family. With this stiff competition, how do you expect me to do that?" he told The Jakarta Post.

Didi, who owns 23 No. 11 and No. 09 angkot, said many of the vehicles were operating illegally.

"I think at least 200 angkot operate without permits ... the transportation agency doesn't conduct any regular checks.

"An official from the agency told me that no more additional units would be allowed to operate on the routes, but a fellow operator just added several new angkot to his fleet by paying a Rp 100 million bribe for each car."

The public transportation vehicle head at the Jakarta transportation agency, Bambang Gardjito, said the office did not limit the number of vehicles per route, because the maximum capacity of the route depended on public demand.

"We don't want to be rigid in limiting the number of angkot, because the number of passengers is growing. However, we must first conduct a survey as to whether the route needs additional angkot," he said.

This policy, however, opens up the possibility of bribery among those who wanted to profit from busy routes.

An executive at the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda), who requested anonymity, acknowledged that the transportation agency was rife with bribery.

"There is a regular 'fee' paid by angkot owners to maintain a relationship with officials so they can continue to exploit profitable routes, and they can expand their fleet as much as they want. There is no such thing as a survey to determine whether an area needs new vehicles," he said.

Bambang rejected the allegation, however, arguing that the agency had an administrative procedure for applying for new routes and additional vehicles.

"We charge no fees for either application. We charge them a mere Rp 50,000 per car as an operational levy, nothing more."

His statement made several angkot owners burst out laughing, for they shared similar experiences in the difficulties they had with the agency, including high monthly fees and vague procedures for renewing permits annually.

"I have to pay various fees that have no clear purpose, such as monthly contributions to various cooperatives and annual fees for renewing permits and roadworthiness certification," said Didi.

"Every time I want to renew a route permit, I have to obtain a recommendation letter from a particular transportation cooperative -- for which I have to pay," he said.

He said he spent at least Rp 200,000 per vehicle per year for the process, even though the official fee is only Rp 40,000.

Pardede, an angkot owner in Pondok Gede, East Jakarta, said an operational license for new vehicles to ply existing routes would cost him Rp 100 million, including the cost of the vehicle.

"I have to spend millions of rupiah for the permit. I don't know the exact amount, because the agency has appointed middlemen to take care of all new vehicle applications," he said.

Arif, an angkot owner in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, said that even without the levies, operational and maintenance costs had hurt public transportation operators since the economic crisis started in 1998.

"We simply charge the driver higher rental fees. It up to them whether they can meet the required fee or not. If they can't, I can always find somebody else," he said.

On the several routes researched, the Post found that it is common for the driver to pay Rp 100,000 to Rp 150,000 for daily vehicle rental, plus Rp 90,000 for fuel. In order to take home some earnings, they must make at least Rp 250,000 from early morning to midnight.

With the obvious lack of either monitoring or control by the city administration, while the angkot business fulfills the demand for cheap transportation, it also runs at the expense of passengers and the public as drivers try hard to make ends meet, compounding traffic along the way.