City to have more buses to meet growing demand

City to have more buses to meet growing demand

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration will introduce 40 new
regular buses this month to overcome the scarcity of public
transport.

The head of the city land transportation control agency, J.P.
Sepang, said yesterday that his office has permitted three
companies to operate non-Patas buses.

Patas buses differ from non-Patas, or regular, buses in three
ways: they prohibit standing on the bus, limit the number of
passengers and some are air-conditioned. Patas, also known as
express buses, charge a non-air-conditioned fare between Rp 550
and Rp 600, while the non-Patas bus fare is Rp 250.

The fare for an air-conditioned Patas bus is Rp 1,300.

Andalan was awarded a permit to operate 10 regular buses for
the Kampung Rambutan-Blok M route while Mastrans will operate 10
buses plying the Kampung Melayu-Kalideres route and 10 other
buses for the Kampung Melayu-Blok M route. Bianglala will operate
10 more buses on the Kampung Rambutan-Tanah Abang route.

The administration plans to enlist private firms to operate a
total of 1,000 non-Patas buses. Operation permits have been
issued for 300 buses so far. However, they are all Patas buses,
Sepang said. "That's why the 40 new buses will be used for
regular or non-Patas buses."

He said that the city needs more regular buses to replace its
existing buses, most of which are inoperable.

"Unfortunately, bus companies prefer operating Patas buses to
regular ones. We will in the future permit them to operate only
regular buses," he told reporters.

The deputy governor for economic and development affairs, Tb.
M. Rais, has already ordered the agency to take firm action
against the companies which turn their regular buses into Patas
buses.

There are six companies which have permission to operate
regular buses: the state-owned bus company PPD, Mayasari Bakti,
Bianglala MTR, Steady Safe, Giri Indah and Ikawali Pusaka Jaya.

PPD now has 900 Patas and non-Patas buses.

Recently thousands of Tangerang residents complained about the
scarcity of regular buses to take them to their offices in
Jakarta.

Sepang said that the main reason for the scarcity of regular
buses is that 85 percent of PPD's regular buses have broken down.

"PPD has reported the situation," he said.

PPD is cooperating with four private companies to repair and
operate its aging buses.

The companies are PT Senawangi, Intras, Setia Kawan and Garuda
Mas. (yns)