Bus owners protest over bus seizure

Bus owners protest over bus seizure

CIREBON: Hundreds of bus owners grouped under the West Java and
Central Java Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda)
demanded on Thursday the release of 117 buses currently impounded
by the Jakarta office of the Ministry of Transportation,
apparently without good reason.

In a media conference on Thursday, spokesman of the protesting
bus owners Iskandar Agus Banadji said that they demanded Jakarta
Governor Sutiyoso immediately release the buses, which were
seized last month.

"We will report the case to Jakarta provincial legislative
council and other government institutions, should the governor
allow the impoundment of those buses to continue," Iskandar said.

He claimed that the intercity buses were impounded without
good reason and the Jakarta administration had sought a "ransom
payment" for their release.

"For each bus, they sought Rp 1.5 million to Rp 5 million in
'compensation money'," Iskandar charged, adding that a bus
company suffered Rp 500,000 in losses per bus per day due to the
impoundment.

The bus owners threatened to stage a protest, along with the
crews, at the Jakarta administration if their demands were
ignored.--JP