Buses stop operating, thousands stranded

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Thousands of passengers were stranded on Wednesday as many public buses and vans refused to operate, fearing they would be trapped in traffic jams or suffer engine failure on the flooded roads.

"We don't want to risk our bus being damaged if it sits too long in the water," said Irin, one of a group of drivers who were spotted near the Kampung Melayu bus terminal in East Jakarta.

Irin drives a Metromini M-612 bus on the Kampung Melayu- Ragunan route.

Sianipar, a Mikrolet M-16 minivan driver, said that he had decided not to operate his vehicle even though it meant losing money, as he still had to pay the Rp 80,000 daily rental fee on the van.

The drivers said they would resume operations when the waters had receded.

Torrential rains that have struck Jakarta for four consecutive days have inundated main streets throughout the capital, stranding many cars and motorcycles in the process. On Jl. Otista Raya, East Jakarta, two large P-2 buses were trapped by floodwaters covering the road.

Some roads were completely closed, including Jl. Otista and Jl. Raya Bekasi in East Jakarta and Jl. Lapangan Ros in South Jakarta, as water levels reached their peak.

Another bus driver, Rinto, said he and his colleagues refused to use alternate routes in an attempt to evade flooded roads.

"Most alternate roads have also been hit by heavy traffic jams. It would be annoying and take a lot of time," said the young man, who drives a P-53 bus on the Kampung Rambutan-Kampung Melayu route.

Dozens of public buses and vans could be seen parked in the vicinity of Kampung Melayu bus terminal in East Jakarta, while thousands of passengers walked back and forth desperately searching for functioning public transport.

Some passengers decided to take motorcycle taxis (ojek) instead.

Erni, who works at Pasar Festival, in Kuningan, South Jakarta, grumbled because she had to take a motorcycle taxi (ojek) instead of a public van.

"I have to spend Rp 8,000 instead of Rp 900 for the ojek," she said, adding that she had to rush to her office as she was a new employee.

Kiky, who works for a private company on Jl. Panjang in West Jakarta decided to go home as he couldn't get a bus.

"It's too late to go to work. I've told my boss that there is no bus here. So I'll go home now," said Kiky, adding that he had waited for the bus for more than two and half hours in front of Mitra Keluarga Hospital on Jl. Jatinegara Timur, East Jakarta.