'Bus fare hikes to take effect in August'

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso announced on Monday that the planned hike on bus fares would be made effective by the first week of next month.

The governor insisted that the increase, which has received sharp criticism from the Indonesian Transportation Labor Union (SPTI) and the general public, was a necessity to prevent public transportation companies and cooperatives from going out of business.

"The hike in bus fares will be arranged in a way so that it won't burden city residents here too much," Sutiyoso told reporters at City Hall on Monday.

He added that the city administration was also considering cutting taxes on public buses.

"But by how much it's going to be cut down... it has not been decided yet. Remember that the administration is largely run on taxes too," Sutiyoso said.

When asked about the threat of a massive strike should the city administration continue with its plan, revealed by drivers grouped in SPTI recently, Sutiyoso said that he also had to consider other factors and groups in society.

"I can't just listen to SPTI. I do also have to listen to the transportation businesses and the public as well. What SPTI plans to do later would be its own choice."

The administration announced last week that fares for regular buses would rise to Rp 500 from Rp 300, for non-air-conditioned express and limited buses (PATAS) to Rp 900 from Rp 700, for minibuses to Rp 700 from Rp 500 and the fares for air-conditioned PATAS buses would go up to Rp 2,500 from Rp 2,300.

The student fare would be doubled to Rp 200.

Deputy Governor for Development Affairs Budihardjo Sukmadi said last week that the plan would be effective sometime this week, after Sutiyoso issues a gubernatorial decree.

Strong opposition from several parties apparently led Sutiyoso to delay the implementation of the plan.

Agus Pambagio from the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI), who was involved in discussions to hike the bus fare, said the announcement of the fare increase was nothing but a political move.

"The administration only wants to please businesspeople in the public transportation industry without solving the real problems in the transportation sector," he said.

Agus also said that YLKI never approved the bus fare hike, although its representatives had participated in a series of discussions about the city administration's plan.

Budihardjo Sukmadi had said that a YLKI representative was also present when the plan was first suggested at a July 5 meeting with executives from the city's Land Transportation Agency and the Jakarta Chapter of the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda).

But Agus reiterated that the last meeting attended by a YLKI representative was on June 28.

In another related development on Monday, students grouped in the Forum Kota (City Forum) organization called on Jakartans to make a united stand against the city administration's plan.

"We call city dwellers to reject the bus fare hike policy and pay bus fares based on the old amounts," the group's spokesman, Irfan Hutasoit, told a press conference at Sahid University in South Jakarta.

According to the group, the administration has no legitimate reason to hike the fares, since it would only be an extra burden on the people.

Irfan said the group was therefore urging the central government to subsidize the bus owners to cope with the escalating cost of bus spare parts and accessories.

"By lowering the price of car spare parts, the businessmen will no longer have any reason to push forward with the transportation fare hike," he said.(ylt/asa)