City gets tough on taking errant taxi firms to task
JAKARTA (JP): The City Land Transportation Agency has revoked the operation license of a Kotas taxi, which, according to police findings, was used in last month's robbery and rape of a woman passenger, an official said on Wednesday.
The head of the agency, Buyung Atang, told reporters at City Hall that his office decided to take the stern measure, considered the first ever in the capital, to crack down on unscrupulous taxi drivers in Jakarta.
"We revoked the taxi's license because it was used in a crime. With the revocation, the car, bearing the plate B 1714 MX, will no longer be able to get a taxi license," Buyung said.
"We will not tolerate the use of taxis for criminal actions," he added.
Certain acts were tolerated and termed "minor" regulation violations, such as the absence of a valid driver identity card and required licenses, or not wearing a uniform and not using taxi meters, Buyung explained.
The official did not mention that some crimes committed by people using taxis were usually taxis that were borrowed or hired from their drivers.
In last month's robbery and rape case in South Jakarta, police said the driver of the Kotas taxi had willingly lent the car with full knowledge that it would be used in a robbery by the three people who borrowed it.
Besides the Kotas taxi, the agency is considering the possibility of the same punishment for a Dian taxi, which -- according to a police report -- was used in a robbery and murder of a South Korean woman last month in West Jakarta, Buyung said.
"We are still reviewing the case. Perhaps we will have the results some time next week," he said.
Following a series of robberies on taxi passengers in Jakarta, the agency monitored taxis operating in the capital from Jan. 27 to Feb. 5, Buyung said.
During the operation, the agency ticketed 387 taxi drivers and temporarily banned 124 from operation for several violations.
The latest measures taken on the taxis and their drivers has received the strong support from several parties, such as city councilors and the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI).
Members of Commission D for development affairs, which also covers transportation affairs, Saud Rahman and F.X. Marsiadi, and a member of YLKI executive board, Tini Hadad, told The Jakarta Post separately on Wednesday that they hailed the decision, saying that such stern actions were badly needed as a shock therapy for drivers and taxi companies as well.
Fair
But they suggested the agency to continuously impose the actions without focusing only on certain cases.
Councilor Marsiadi said the city had too many taxis from different companies which failed to meet standard requirements.
"In other words, the city administration's control mechanism still doesn't function," he said.
Tini Hadad of YLKI said the most important thing was that the administration should tighten the requirements for issuing licenses to taxi businesses.
"It has become common that, for instance, taxis which do not meet standards can still get a license," she said.
The management of the Blue Bird group and Kosti Jaya taxi companies, who were contacted separately, said taxi firms could actually play a big role in reducing the number of crimes faced by taxi passengers in Jakarta.
Nani Purnomo, the senior business and development manager of the Blue Bird group, which has one of the best reputations in the city, said taxi companies should impose a tighter control on their drivers.
"Usually those who are involved in crimes are temporary drivers who replace the real one. They resort to this practice because taxi companies do not pay them enough," she said.
When asked about the practice, LP Somba, the head of public relations at PT President Taxi, which topped the agency's list of ticketed drivers, refused to comment.
"Our boss has asked us not to speak to the media," he said. (05/ind)