Cirebon Mayor Lasmana meets drivers' demand for fare hike

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon

Cirebon Mayor Lasmana Suryaatmadja approved an increase in minivan fares to Rp 1,300 for general passengers and to Rp 500 for students, from Rp 900 and Rp 400 previously, after hundreds of drivers occupied his office and the municipal legislature building in the West Java town of Cirebon on Tuesday.

Lasmana signaled his approval at a meeting with five drivers representing the demonstrators at his office, in the presence of several legislators from the local chapter of the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB).

The demonstration almost turned violent when the mayor was reported to be unavailable, as many demonstrators provoked others to ransack his office.

The demonstration also caused a traffic jam in the city, which connects West Java with Central and East Java in the northern part of Java island. The highway is a main route for the supply of basic commodities to the two provinces and to Bali.

The situation was back under control after Cirebon Police deployed hundreds of riot police to the location and a number of legislators met with the demonstrators.

The demonstrators said they supported the fares increase proposed by the local office of the Association of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) due to the recent fuel price hikes.

"We don't want the cost of the fuel price hikes to be absorbed by us as it will certainly affect our daily income," Agus Tarmudji, coordinator of the demonstrators, said.

He explained that drivers had to pay an additional Rp 9,000 per day for fuel and an additional Rp 10,000 in daily rent to the minivan owners.

The Land Transportation Agency local office proposed an increase in the minivan fares after the government raised the price of premium fuel to Rp 1750 per liter, from Rp 1,450 per liter previously.