City Hall to study higher bus fare idea

City Hall to study higher bus fare idea

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration will carefully study a
proposal from the Organization of Land Transportation Businessmen
that city bus fares be raised.

Deputy Governor for Economic Affairs Tb. M. Rais told
reporters yesterday that the city administration would consider
the proposal carefully before making a decision.

"The city administration understands why the organization
proposed the fare hike and we will be studying it carefully,"
Rais said.

The chairman of the transport business organization, Aip
Sjaifuddin, told reporters on Wednesday that the organization
intended to propose a fare increase to Governor Surjadi
Soedirdja.

He said the fare on regular buses should be increased from Rp
250 (11 U.S. cents) to Rp 500, on Patas buses (quick, limited
service) from Rp 550 to Rp 900 and on air conditioned buses from
Rp 1,300 to Rp 1,750.

Aip said transportation companies needed the rise because the
current fare did not cover their operating costs.

Rais said the city administration rejected a proposal to hike
the fare last year because there were some internal problems in
transport companies, such as PT Metro Mini.

"It was also because of the poor service offered by public
transportation companies to passengers", he added, referring to
the many traffic accidents involving public buses.

Rais urged bus companies to improve their services so that
people would not object to a fare increase.

He said the city administration had planned to increase the
number of public buses in order to meet public transport needs in
the city.

The municipal administration was planning to add a total of
1,000 new buses to city routes, he said.(yns)