City asked to address overlapping bus services
City asked to address overlapping bus services
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The city administration should start streamlining overlapping
public buses services, which have contributed significantly to
the disorganized condition of the transportation system in the
city, a transportation analyst said.
Jack Sumabrata, an urban transportation researcher of Pelangi,
a non-governmental organization dealing with development and
environment, said that the problem should be a priority for the
city administration before it introduced a more complex
transportation system.
"You can see how many bus operators serve the Blok M-Kota
routes. Such a condition can no longer be maintained," Jack told
the press on the sidelines of a seminar on urban transportation
management here on Tuesday.
He was referring to the route from Blok M in South Jakarta to
Kota in Central Jakarta which will be the main corridor of the
busway project.
The route is served by air-conditioned buses operated by
several operators like Maya Sari Bakti, the Djakarta land
transportation operator (PPD) and Bianglala. A number of other
operators also serve the route but they start from bus terminals
other than Blok M.
He questioned the administration's plan for the buses which
have served the routes if the busway project is implemented.
"So far we still don't know what the city transportation
agency will do about it," he added.
He also criticized the agency for opening the route to medium-
size buses, which ply major streets like Jl. Sudirman and Jl.
Thamrin that should only be served by bigger buses.
According to Jack, the allocation of transportation services
based on public demand should be part of the method to resolve
the complex transportation problems.
Well-managed public transportation, which provide high
standard services, will encourage the public to leave their cars
at home and begin to use public transportation.
Therefore, the city transportation agency should begin to
classify which bus services will be permitted to travel on
certain roads.