Authorities agree to raise fares
JAKARTA (JP): Many local administrations and councils across the country surrendered on Monday to demands for an increase in transport fares as thousands of commuters were again left stranded in the wake of a strike by public minivan drivers.
While not nationally organized, minivan drivers in cities across the country held demonstrations to protest the government's decision to increase the price of fuel by 30 percent.
To avoid a further suspension of transport services, city administrations individually agreed to raise the public transportation fares by an average of around 20 percent.
Excluding several parts of Jakarta, no violence resulted from the wave of protests that disrupted normal traffic flow and prevented many people from using their regular form of transport.
The strikes confirmed reports by police on Sunday that at least 19 Indonesian cities, most of them in Java, faced drivers' strikes due to the government's announcement late on Friday night that fuel prices would be increased.
In the capital, the Jakarta administration looked set to increase fares of public transportation vans (Angkot) after the city's Land Transportation Owners' Association (Organda) proposed the rise on Monday.
Organda proposed a fare rise of between Rp 100 and Rp 300 per passenger from the current fares, but prohibited bus operators to increase their fares as they would receive compensation from the government.
In Purwokerto, Central Java, all public transportation, inter- city buses and minivans serving city routes, stopped operating.
The strike started at around 6 a.m., when most commuters flooded terminals and streets to get to work and school.
Drivers said it was only suitable that fares also be raised given the fuel price increase.
"If the local administration wants us to resume operations they have to cancel the fuel price hike or increase the fares for public transportation," a driver said in Tanjung, some two kilometers west of the main bus terminal, where drivers gathered and parked their vehicles.
Many drivers also blocked main roads, forcing other public transport from also operating.
To overcome the situation, the local administration deployed trucks and cars to fetch stranded passengers along main routes usually served by the striking drivers.
Later on Monday, Banyumas administration agreed to temporarily raise fares by 25 percent, while awaiting an official decree from the Central Java governor.
"This is a temporary decision and we're still waiting for official approval by the Central Java governor," said Budiono, an official at the local city land transportation agency.
In Makassar, South Sulawesi, local city officials hurriedly convened a meeting with the land transportation organization as thousands of public minivan drivers stopped operating.
"Yes, we've agreed to raise the fare of public transportation to around 30 percent," Makassar deputy mayor Syamsul Ridjal said after the meeting.
The fare for the public minivans, locally known as pete-pete, rose from Rp 700 to Rp 1,000.
Hundreds of students from various universities in Makassar also staged a rally to reject the price increase.
"We ask the South Sulawesi council to make a stand by refusing implementation of the fuel price rise in Makassar," said Wahida, one of the students.
Public transport in Pekanbaru, Riau, also ground to a halt as hundreds of minibus and minivan drivers urged higher fares by rallying along the provincial capital's main streets.
The city mayor and councillors pledged to approve a fare increase of up to 60 percent.
In Palu, Central Sulawesi, officials at Tadaluko University were forced to operate two campus buses to pick up students trying to get to their exams on Monday.
In Manado, North Sulawesi, the city mayor was forced to accept a raise from Rp 500 to Rp 700 as minivan drivers refused to transport students waiting to go to school.
In Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, drivers unilaterally increased their fares by 15 percent without referring to authorities.
The drivers told The Jakarta Post on Monday that they had been forced to deviate from the normal procedure because the increase in fuel prices sparked a rise in the cost of automotive spare parts.
The fares rose from Rp 800 to Rp 1,000 per adult passenger and from Rp 300 to Rp 500 per student.
Despite initial public outcry, they defended the fare hike as "compensation for ever-rising operational costs".
In Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, commuters were given a broad range of alternatives as municipal authorities quickly prepared dozens of trucks and official cars in anticipation of the strike.
Pending approval of an increase in fares from the local administration, officials said drivers could go on strike or raise their own fares within reasonable limits.
But the municipal initiative to prepare alternative transport for commuters later in the day prompted drivers to resume their normal operations.(25/27/28/30/jun)