City undecided over public transportation fares

City undecided over public transportation fares

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Bogor

The Jakarta administration failed to raise bus fares on Monday
despite a threat by operators to raise fares based on their own
calculations if the city failed to announce new fares by May 18.

The City Council has yet to approve the proposal since
Governor Sutiyoso did not submit a signed recommendation with the
proposal.

"We didn't received the governor's official letter attached to
the proposal, how can we approve it?" said Sayogo Hendrosubroto
of the council's Commission D for development affairs in a
hearing with the City Transportation Agency and the Jakarta
branch of the Organization of Land Transportation Owners
(Organda).

Sayogo of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) said the city had proposed a 14 percent to 67 percent
increase, which he considered too high compared to the average 14
percent increase in fuel prices.

Councillor Ali Imron Husein of the United Development Party
(PPP) objected to the fare increase, particularly for students.

"We rejected the increased fare for students. Most of them are
ordinary people," said Ali, who is also deputy chairman of the
commission.

Sayogo urged the administration to penalize companies that had
already increased fares.

"Organda should warn its members not to increase their fares,"
he said, responding to Organda chairman Aip Syaifuddin's threat.

Sutiyoso said on Friday that he would announce the new fares
on Monday should the proposal be approved by the council.

The proposal suggests that fares for regular buses be
increased from Rp 700 to Rp 1,000, limited seat (Patas) buses
from Rp 900 to Rp 1,200, medium buses from 900 to Rp 1,100,
public minivans from Rp 1,400 to Rp 1,600 and students fares from
Rp 300 to Rp 600.

On the same day, the Bogor Council rejected, through a vote, a
proposal from the municipal administration to increase public
minivan fares from Rp 900 to Rp 1,000. Student fares were set to
increase to Rp 500.

Of the 38 councillors, 21 turned down the proposal in the
council's plenary session while the remaining 17 approved it.