Closed door busing policy remains in effect

Closed door busing policy remains in effect

JAKARTA (JP): A city police officer says that the ongoing
ruling which requires the doors of public transit vehicles to
remain closed while in motion will remain in effect.

The temporary exemption from the ruling for Mikrolet and other
buses with fewer than 12 seats as well as those operating on the
outskirts of the city will soon end, Col. Hotman Siagian, head of
the City Traffic Police Directorate, said.

"Officers of related institutions are currently studying which
of the three prototypes now being tested is the most effective
and low-cost model," Hotman told reporters here Wednesday
evening.

When the officers have completed their work, all public
transport vehicles which are currently being exempted from this
closed-door policy must be equipped with the selected model for
closing the doors while in motion, he explained.

Owners and drivers of such vehicles have strongly protested
the ruling, stating that they could not find appropriate
additional equipment for closing the doors of their vehicles.

They complained that they could not hire anyone to help them
close the doors because they would have to share their daily
earnings.

"Should I get out of my car to close the door every time a
passenger boards?" Hotman quoted one driver as complaining.

All three prototypes, taken from various sources, including
those used by public transit vehicles in Bandung, West Java, are
currently being studied jointly by officers from the City Police
Headquarters, the City Traffic and Land Transportation Control
Agency and the Association of the Land Transportation Owners'
Association.

"We have agreed not to set a deadline for the studies as well
as the use of the selected prototype because we are worried that
certain parties would take advantage of this," Hotman said.

Hotman also insisted that vehicle owners be allowed to make
their own tools as long as they conform with basic requirements
and are safe for passengers.

Asked to comment on public complaints about the ruling, he
jokingly replied, "If the air inside the bus becomes hotter due
to the ruling, why don't they get a truck?"

Hotman said that the problem can be solved as long as the
passengers and bus crew show the will to cooperate with each
other.

"Ask them to open the windows and refrain from smoking. It's
really quite simple," he said. (bsr)