City to tighten regulation on taxi operation
City to tighten regulation on taxi operation
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Jakarta administration is planning to tighten the regulation
on taxi operations in the capital in order to improve the level
of service provided by operators to their customers amid the
increasing number of taxis operating here, which leads to poorer
services.
"We are witnessing a huge influx of taxis operating in the
capital from cities outside Jakarta," Jakarta Deputy Governor
Fauzi Bowo told reporters at City Hall over the weekend.
The administration has asked the Center of Transportation
Studies (CTS) of the University of Indonesia to carry out a
comprehensive analysis on taxi services in the city.
"Based on the analysis, we will look into the best and most
feasible policy to regulating the level of service of taxis
operating in the city," he said.
He added that in the future, the administration would require
taxi operators to meet detailed standards of services, including
the level of comfort, security, drivers' skill and vehicle
roadworthiness.
"Should they fail to fulfill the standard, they will not be
allowed to operate in the city," he said.
He admitted that the implementation of a tighter regulation
would need support from neighboring cities, saying that many taxi
operators had obtained permits from the administrations of cities
outside Jakarta, like Depok, Bekasi, Tangerang and Bogor.
Meanwhile, CTS director Soetanto Soehodo said any regulation
should be implemented not only by the city administration but
also by neighboring cities.
"The regulation on taxi operations must involve all the
related administrations. Otherwise, it will fail," he said.
He asserted that transportation services were inherently
borderless so any policy to limit the operation of taxis in
restricted areas would not work.
He gave the example of the operation of taxis at Soekarno-
Hatta International Airport, which is under the Tangerang
municipal administration of Banten province, but which caters to
the needs of mostly Jakarta residents.
According to data from the City Transportation Agency, at
least 30 taxi operators have licenses to operate 23,000 taxis,
but only 21,200 taxis are actually operational.