Bajaj co-op asks govt to keep taxi for the masses
Bajaj co-op asks govt to keep taxi for the masses
JAKARTA (JP): A bajaj cooperative in South Jakarta has accepted the government's plan to remove the three-wheeled motorized vehicles from the city's streets, provided their replacement will function as a taxi for the masses.
"Bajaj will be replaced by minivans. That is O.K. But the new vehicles should operate, like bajaj, as taxis," Gultom, the secretary of the Sehati bajaj cooperative, told The Jakarta Post. About 100 members of the cooperative operate some 4,000 bajaj.
Gultom said the rule to restrict the operation areas for bajaj has reduced their function as a taxi for the masses.
He believes that the city administration which introduced bajaj in late 1980s to replace becak (pedicabs), will consider all aspects of the issue before banning bajaj from the city's streets.
He said at present there are 15,000 bajaj operating in the city with about 30,000 drivers depending on the vehicles for their livelihood. "You can imagine what will become of the drivers' families, if the bajaj drivers lose their jobs because their vehicles are no longer allowed to operate," he added.
Meanwhile, Cecep who owns 10 bajaj said he and his fellow bajaj owners would ask the city administration for fair compensation if the vehicles are banned.
He said the current price of a bajaj is between Rp 7 million (US$3,043) and Rp 10 million.
A bajaj driver takes home an average of between Rp 10,000 and Rp 15,000 a day, after paying between Rp 15,000 and Rp 18,000 to the bajaj owner, he added.
The head of the city Land Transport Control Agency (DLLAJ), JP Sepang said the removal of bajaj will be started soon after the removal process of bemo (another type of three-wheeled vehicle) is completed. The phasing out of bemo is due to begin this month. They are slightly larger than a bajaj and can carry up to seven passengers, while a bajaj can only carry three passengers at the most.
Sepang disclosed that a type of minivan would probably replace the bemo and the bajaj. He did not elaborate.
The head of the city transportation office, Abdul Karim Tjokroprawiro, agreed with Sepang, saying that bajaj are no longer suitable for the city.
He suggested, as quoted by the Kompas daily, that a vehicle similar to a procart, a small motorized vehicle used on golf courses, would be a suitable substitute for the bajaj."Such vehicles produce no air pollution," he pointed out. They cost about Rp 10 million. (04)