Bus strike set to continue
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Dozens of minibus crews at the Blok M bus terminal remained on strike for a third consecutive day on Thursday protesting the new bus routes designated by the City Land Transportation Agency, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.
The crews said they would likely stay on strike for several more days or until the city administration met their demands to give them back their old routes.
"We will continue to strike and stage rallies until the agency re-imposes our old routes and revokes the new routes," Butar- butar, the driver of the S-69 minibus serving the Blok M-Cileduk route, told The Jakarta Post.
Under the new regulation, 10 minibus routes, especially those heading for Rempoa and Cileduk are required to pass through Jl. Barito and Bulungan after they leave the bus terminal instead of passing the intersection of Jl. Trunojoyo and Sisingamangaraja.
The routes affected are 69, 70, 613, 74, 608, 71, 72, 609, 611, and 610.
"We refuse to take the new route as it is too quiet, less passengers will use our minibus," Butar-butar said.
His colleague, Subagyo, concurred, citing that his turnover had sharply plummeted to Rp 90,000 from Rp 150,000 on Tuesday when the new route was imposed.
Meanwhile, Sumadji Bolawi, deputy chief of Traffic and Transportation Control Unit at the City Transportation Agency, played down the crews' statements, saying that it was normal and once passengers are used to the new routes, their regular turnover would be similar.
"It is normal that they will get less passengers (in the beginning) given that the route is not yet well known to the public," he argued.
Sumadji said the new routes were created to help ease the traffic congestion at the intersection of Jl. Sisingamangaraja and Jl. Trunojoyo.
Sumadji asserted that his officers would remain tough in imposing the new ruling, and added that Governor Sutiyoso had earlier expressed his support of the new ruling.
"Let them go on (with the strike). We'll see who is the strongest. Should they persist, we might void their route permit," he stated despite the fact that the authority to issue new permits is held by the city administration.
Sumadji said his office had asked for a helping hand from the police, military, and private transport agencies such as Mayasari and Steady Safe to provide alternate vehicles to transport stranded passengers.
But, hundreds of passengers were seen desperately stranded at the vicinity of Blok M bus terminal and along Jl. Hassanudin, Jl. Trunojoyo, and Jl. Kyai Maja as a handful of alternative buses and trucks could not accommodate them all.
"This is very annoying. I've been waiting for almost two hours here. I don't know when it (the minibus) will return to operate," said Sri, while holding her baby.
"I had hoped that this could be solved immediately. Yesterday, due to the strike, I had to walk miles away to look for an alternative form of transport," said Ferry, a security guard at Cawang in East Jakarta.
Separately, Taman Puring police subprecinct chief Adj. Comr. Tornagogo said police would back the implementation of the new route as the ruling was part of the city administration's policy.
"It is the police's main task to enforce the government's policy on one hand but on the other hand to prevent the demonstration from turning violent," he told The Jakarta Post.
He refused to give comment further, saying anything else was beyond his authority.