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.