Bus firms warned over regular bus operation
Bus firms warned over regular bus operation
JAKARTA (JP): The city land traffic control agency is
threatening to harshly punish bus companies which fail to operate
30 percent of their fleet as regular buses by the end of next
month.
The head of the agency, JP Sepang, announced yesterday that
the companies may lose their operation permits if they take the
warning lightly.
"We have given the companies enough time. There'll be no more
negotiating," he said.
At least six licensed companies have all but refused to
operate regular buses, stating financial reasons as the excuse.
They prefer operating express buses which are more profitable.
The companies are: PT Ikawali which has a permit to operate 75
buses, Bianglala 300 buses, PT Steady Safe 248 buses, Giri Indah
100 buses, Himpurna 100 buses and Arion 50 buses.
They should operate at least 272 regular buses between them.
The fare on regular buses is Rp 300 (13 US cents) per person
while express buses charge Rp 700 per person.
Sepang said the state-run bus company PPD operates 350 of its
1,637 regular buses while private bus company PT Mayasari Bakti
operates 234 of its 998 regular buses.
The number is not enough for the approximately five million
people who use buses to commute to and from their working places
everyday.
This condition has forced passengers to use express buses
despite the higher fare.
Sepang also chastised taxi owners who fail to have their
meters adjusted by the end of July, and said the list of the new
rates widely used by taxi drivers would be retracted from them.
In April, the government increased the taxi flag fall from Rp
900 to Rp 1,500 and increased the fare from Rp 450 to Rp 550 for
every kilometer.
However, some taxi firms have failed to adjust the meters in
their cabs and have instead given their drivers lists of the
adjusted fares to show passengers.
"I will not condone any taxi which is still using a list to
determine the fare," he said.
The city now has 26 taxi companies with a total of 17,000
cabs. (yns)