Bus strike set to continue

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.