City to have no new taxi companies

City to have no new taxi companies

JAKARTA (JP): A city official said yesterday no new taxi
companies could start up because the industry was at saturation
point and new companies would not be viable.

Harri Sandjojo, head of the local Economic Development Bureau,
said the measure was taken because 29 city companies already
operated more than 18,000 taxis.

He said many older cabs were in poor condition and did not
comply with safety regulations.

"Right now we are concentrating on restoring the older taxis
so that they meet the worth-riding standard," he said.

To achieve the ambition of turning Jakarta into a service
city, many efforts have been made to improve taxi services.

The city police recently started an operation to discipline
drivers who cheat passengers. More than 500 drivers have been
caught.

Furthermore, the number of robberies and murders committed
against cab drivers has increased markedly this year.

Association of private public transport owners, Organda, will
trial the use of partition screen to protect taxi drivers at the
end of the month.

However, a number of taxi drivers were cynical about the
partition screens.

"We have heard that screens will be installed in taxis for
years now, but neither the city administration nor our employers
have done anything about it," one taxi driver said.

Arifin, a Swadharma Taxi driver, said taxi entrepreneurs
needed to install the screens immediately to guarantee drivers'
safety, since many companies did not provide health and life
insurance.

Some companies still charge their drivers rental fees even
after they had been robbed.

"Even after a robbery we still have to turn in our daily
rental fee of Rp 75,000 (US$30) before we can drive again. If we
have to stay home because we can't afford the fee, how can we
make a living?" he asked. (04)