'Bajaj' owners to operate 'kancil'

'Bajaj' owners to operate 'kancil'

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta

About 600 owners of bajaj (three-wheeled motorized taxi) agreed
on Monday to replace their Indian-made vehicles with the new
four-wheeled kancil (literally meaning mouse deer), following the
issuance of a license by Governor Sutiyoso.

"The bajaj owners have agreed to replace their old vehicles
with the kancil," the Jakarta Transportation Agency head Rustam
Effendy Sidabutar told reporters on Monday.

Rustam along with around 20 bajaj drivers and owners held a
press conference at City Hall.

Rustam, however, did not mention how many bajaj would be
replaced.

A total of 14,612 bajaj have been registered in the city since
1976.

In a letter signed by Deputy Governor Fauzi Bowo on May 24,
the administration approved the initial operation of 250 kancil
citywide starting in July. This will be followed by the
withdrawal of 250 of the older bajaj vehicles.

Rustam reiterated Sutiyoso's order that the replacement would
be carried out in phases.

According to Rustam, the plan to replace the bajaj has been in
the works since 1982 because the vehicles produce thick, black
smoke contributing to the worsening air quality in the city,
besides being extremely noisy.

The administration stopped issuing new permits for bajaj in
1986, but allowed the operation of the existing bajaj in the
city.

Erwin Tasivin, who owns 28 bajaj operating in South Jakarta,
said that he had no choice but to replace his bajaj with kancil.

"I'm afraid that if I keep operating my bajaj, my earnings
will be slashed significantly due to the presence of kancil which
is more comfortable, is quieter and produces less pollution," he
said.

Erwin said he had asked his bajaj drivers to try out the
kancil for a month to facilitate the replacement.

"So far, there has been no complaint (from the drivers) about
kancil," he said.

At least 2,000 bajaj drivers and owners staged a rally in
front of City Hall last Wednesday, opposing the administration's
plan to replace the bajaj.

They rejected the operation of kancil, arguing that the
operation of the new vehicles would reduce their income
significantly. Bajaj drivers also complained that kancil was not
as powerful and sturdy as the bajaj.

Kancil is assembled by local company PT Kurnia Abadi Niaga
Citra Indah Lestari.