Bus strike leaves thousands stranded

BOGOR (JP): Bus crews went on strike on Monday at Baranangsiang bus terminal, leaving thousands of passengers, including commuters employed in Jakarta, stranded.

The strike started very early in the morning to protest a policy by the bus terminal authority which favors Kramat Djati buses.

The bus crews were protesting the fact that Kramat Djati benefits by being allocated a special lane for its buses in the terminal, making Kramat Djati buses the only buses that do no have to line up to pick up passengers.

The protesters, operating hundreds of buses plying routes to big cities in the country including Jakarta, accused the company of bribing terminal officials with Rp 25 million (US$2,941) to Rp 100 million to allocate the company a special lane.

"The officials failed to discuss the policy with other bus crews before adopting it," said Edi, who for Limex bus company.

Ismail, a senior staffer at the company which runs the Kramat Djati buses, denied the allegation.

"We didn't pay for the lane. We only followed the terminal's policy to use the lane," he said.

Besides protesting the special treatment given to Kramat Djati, the protesters also demanded the terminal staff stop charging fees for buses parking overnight at the terminal, which reaches Rp 8,000 to Rp 12,000 a night.

The protesters also demanded that terminal staff stop asking bus crews for additional money when they drive in or out of the terminal. The officials charge Rp 2,000 per bus entering the terminal and Rp 1,000 for those leaving.

As part of the protest, the bus crews parked their buses on Jl. Pajajaran in front of the terminal on Monday.

The bus crews also stood in front of the main gate of the terminal, blocking any vehicles trying to enter the terminal, which is located less than a kilometer from the Jagorawi toll road gate.

Thousands of passengers, some of whom arrived at the terminal at 5 a.m., later assembled in the terminal and mixed with the bus crews, turning the terminal into a sea of people.

The angry protesters then vandalized and threw stones at the office of the terminal's manager and at a fee collection booth located on the eastern side of the terminal. They also threw stones at an Indah Murni bus which was parked in the terminal compound. No fatalities were reported during the incident.

Dozens of police personnel arrived at the terminal later in the morning, preventing violence from spreading to surrounding areas.

Some police personnel redirected traffic heading for Jl. Pajajaran to other streets to avoid traffic congestion.

However, the strike caused traffic jams on other streets in Bogor, including Jl. Harupat, Jl. Siliwangi and Jl. Otista.

By 3 p.m. the strike had forced many commuters to cancel their plans for the day, while others went to the nearby Bogor Railway Station to seek alternative transportation.

"We have to seek alternative transportation to reach our workplace," said Lina, a staffer at a private company in Palmerah, Central Jakarta.

Yet many passengers were nonetheless stranded at the railway station due to limited train capacity.

"I heard about the strike but I didn't notice the increased number of passengers because the trains are already packed every day," said Masjraul Hidajat, head of state railway operator PT Kereta Api's Greater Jakarta operation.

Other passengers, frustrated by the situation, opted to go home.

"I wanted to go to work. But since I'd obviously be late it is better that I just go home," said Rita, a staffer at a private company in Pulogadung, East Jakarta.

A meeting between bus operators and Bogor councillors later in the day ruled that the special treatment and illegal levies would be eliminated.

"The special lane for Kramat Djati buses will be canceled," said Rizal, a councillor. (asa/21)