Bus owners demand security in Majalengka

Bus owners demand security in Majalengka

MAJALENGKA, West Java: A number of public bus operators have asked the local police and the local office of the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) to provide security for their vehicles serving the Majalengka route.

The request was made after a PO Bhineka-owned bus serving that route was set on fire by local residents last week.

The bus was burned after it struck a motorbike on the Jatiwangi highway last Sunday. The driver of the motorbike was killed instantly.

Since the accident, mobs have been stopping Bhineka buses on Jatiwangi to search its crew members.

PO Bhineka general manager Edi Junaedi said on Thursday the company would halt its services if the local authorities could not guarantee the safety of their buses and employees.

"Our crews are still worried and frightened. We are haunted by fear. The people not only destroyed the bus involved in the accident, but they are also damaging other buses passing the area, traumatizing the crew members," he said.

Edi said his company had suffered large financial losses as a result of the violence.

The head of Organda's office in Cirebon, Iskandar Agus Banaji, promised to address the problem immediately. --JP