'Busway to start in December'

'Busway to start in December'

Governor Sutiyoso said on Thursday that the busway program
would be implemented in December.

He made the statement to reporters a day after his arrival
here from a foreign visit to examine the busway systems in
several major cities of South American countries, including
Columbia and Mexico.

He said that he had ordered Irzal Djamal, the busway team
leader, to study the busway systems in the countries and see
which system would be appropriate for Jakarta.

The city administration plans to establish a 12.9-kilometer
busway route between Blok M in South Jakarta and Kota in West
Jakarta, utilizing 140 buses, of which 80 units will be provided
by a consortium of private bus companies, a report from the
administration said.

The report said that feeder services and ticketing will be
operated by private companies, which will be selected later
through a tender.

The feeder service will provide public transportation to take
passengers from all areas of Jakarta to sections of the route,
which will include Jl. Sudirman, Jl. Thamrin, Jl. Gajah Mada and
Hayam Wuruk.

Along with the system, the city administration also plans to
extend the three-in-one traffic policy throughout the whole day
until afternoon.

The policy, which requires motorists to bring at least two
passengers inside their cars, is expected to encourage people to
leave their cars at home and use the public transportation.--JP