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)