'Angkot' cretae havoc on the streets

'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.