Bus strike leaves thousands stranded
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)