Bus fare increase allowed for Idul Fitri

Bus fare increase allowed for Idul Fitri

JAKARTA (JP): The government has allowed bus operators to
raise their fares by up to 25 percent during the two weeks of
Idul Fitri holiday rush, it was announced yesterday.

However, the government will punish bus operators who raise
their fares more than the permitted ceiling, Minister of
Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto told reporters after meeting
with President Soeharto.

The fare increases are permitted one week before Idul Fitri,
which falls on March 3, and one week after, he added.

The traditional Idul Fitri exodus has always been a big profit
making time for bus operators because millions of people in big
cities will be making their way to their rural homes to celebrate
the Moslem holiday.

Officials in Jakarta estimate that approximately 3.1 million
residents of Greater Jakarta will leave town during Idul Fitri.
Most of them will travel by bus.

Haryanto said the fare increases are justified not only
because of the surge in demand, but also to compensate for the
fact that these buses will be returning to the cities virtually
empty. In addition, the raises are also considered as a gift to
the bus crew who will have to work during the holiday, he said.

Director General of Land Transportation Soejono said earlier
that bus operators can also increase the number of passengers by
10 percent of their capacity, allowing them to sell the spaces in
the isles, during the two weeks period.

In the past, some bus operators tried increasing their fares
over the permitted ceiling at the risk of having their licenses
suspended. Last year there were suspensions.

Haryanto said the punishment ranges from three to six months
of suspension depending on the degree of violations. The worst
offenders even risk losing their licenses completely, he said.

The authorities will tighten their supervision of the way bus
operators collect the fares from passengers.

Buses will not be permitted to leave the terminals until they
have collected all the fares. Violations occurred in the past
because the fares were collected after the buses left the
terminals, he said.

The minister also appealed to all bus drivers and private
motorists to uphold traffic discipline to help ease the
congestions that are likely to develop on roads leading out of
big cities during the Idul Fitri holiday period. (emb)