Bus fare hikes 'should take public into account'

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso said on Tuesday that the increase in fares of air-conditioned buses should account for their service and be in line with the recent fuel price hike so as to avoid burdening society.

The governor said that his administration would first study the proposal of the air-conditioned bus fare hike.

"The increase should be commensurate with the service provided by the buses and more importantly, it must not be too costly for the public to bear," he said.

He disclosed that many of the buses had so far provided inadequate service.

"I've been informed that the air-conditioning on many of the buses no longer functions properly. In this case, they are not entitled to raise their fares," he said.

The fare increase proposal submitted by the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) was based on a unilateral decision, which lacked in psychological and social considerations, he said.

Sutiyoso also maintained that despite the market mechanism controlling the bus fares, Organda should have consulted Jakarta's executive and legislative institutions.

The government has rejected the proposed bus fare hike of Rp 3,500 per passenger from Rp 2,500. An appropriate increase, said the governor, would be between Rp 3,000 and Rp 3,100.

The chairman of the Jakarta chapter of Organda, Aip Syarifuddin, said it had proposed a maximum increase of 40 percent or Rp 1,000, even though city bus operators had urged the organization to apply a rate of Rp 4,135.

Even though there has yet to be a final decision on the hike, some bus operators have gone ahead with the fare increase.

A resident of Bumi Serpong Damai housing complex in Tangerang said that as of Aug. 1, the fare of air-conditioned buses running from Serpong to Blok M had increased to Rp 3,000.

"But passengers have to pay Rp 200 more because the bus goes along the toll road," he told The Jakarta Post.

Meanwhile, a driver of an air-conditioned bus plying the Depok-Kota route, Sutoyo, reacted with surprise when the Post asked him about the bus fare issue.

"I haven't heard about it," he remarked.

He said he was worried about a possible decrease in passengers following the fare hike as people might prefer taking regular buses instead.

Beni Patria, a passenger on an air-conditioned bus, said he objected to the fare rise because most of the buses were in poor condition.

He pointed out that some buses had air conditioners that failed to work and that a number of passengers were forced to stand.

Separately, a commuter from Bekasi, Farhan Mulyana, said that if the bus fare hike went into effect it would cause problems as he had to take two buses to reach his office in the Kota area.

"I don't think I would take an air-conditioned bus to work then," he said, adding that he was taking air-conditioned buses because he needed a comfortable trip from Bekasi to Kota. He said if the bus fare was increased, he would take a regular bus instead, despite its poor condition.

"The passengers on regular buses look like sardines packed in a tin, but I have no other choice," he said, referring to the overcrowded condition of non-air-conditioned buses. (arp/04)