Commuters object to high busway fares

Commuters object to high busway fares

Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Arsi, 22, took out Rp 1,200 (14 U.S. cents) from her pocket to
pay the fare for a bus from Blok M, South Jakarta, to Kota, West
Jakarta, not realizing that it was probably one of the last times
she would to pay such a low fare.

When the busway project kicks off on Jan. 15, commuters like
Arsi will have to pay Rp 2,500 to ride one of the 56 air-
conditioned buses.

"I'm gonna have to pay Rp 2,500? That's crazy. I thought the
city administration was just going to shift the path for the
buses without increasing the price. It will raise my
transportation expenses," she groaned.

Arsi, who works as a waitress at a fast-food restaurant on Jl.
Thamrin, lives in a rented house in Bendungan Hilir, Central
Jakarta. It normally takes her 15 minutes to reach her workplace,
at a cost of about Rp 2,500 a day. When the busway opens, Arsi
will have to pay double for transportation at Rp 5,000 a day.

"I don't need an air-conditioned bus. This bus, that I always
take, is enough. I know I don't make much. That's why I'm fine
with the regular buses," she said.

The Jakarta administration has argued that the busway, which
occupies a 12.9-kilometer corridor, would encourage people who
work in buildings situated along the route to leave their private
cars at home and use the busway instead. The city has promised to
provide feeder services to and from busway shelters and
residential areas on the outskirts of the capital.

Commuters will have to pay Rp 2,900 for city zones and Rp
3,800 for outer zones.

"It's a total waste of money. There are already (regular)
buses from Blok M to Kota that only cost me Rp 1,200. Why would
anyone get on a bus on the same route at a higher fare?" asked
Yudi, a security guard at a hotel on Jl. Hayam Wuruk, West
Jakarta. He lives in Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta, and usually
catches a bus on Jl. Thamrin.

Another commuter, Anastasia, was enraged and skeptical about
the project.

"It is inefficient and a total waste of money. My bus
intersects the busway corridor in front of the State Palace. Do I
have get off my bus and take the busway to get to my office and
pay Rp 2,500 more? That's nonsense," said the 23-year-old woman.

Anastasia lives in Bekasi and works at an insurance company in
Harmoni, West Jakarta, near the State Palace. She usually spends
Rp 5,000 on transportation daily from her Rp 1.3 million monthly
salary.

"If I have to take the busway, I'll have to spend at least Rp
10,000 per day. What about the buses that intersect the corridor?
People will have to change buses several times then. Those
officials are really illogical.

"What if a bus stalls? Where will they tow it? Or what if
passengers lose their tickets? Has the administration thought
about that?" she grumbled.

At least 149 buses currently serve the Blok M-Kota route. The
four operators along the corridor will have their licenses for
that route revoked to make way for the busway project.

Meanwhile, the administration has only prepared 56 buses with
a capacity of 20,000 passengers in the initial phase. The Blok M-
Kota route normally serves 60,000 passengers. By mid-2004, the
city plans to add 50 more buses, but until then, 40,000 daily
commuters along the route will have to find alternative means of
transportation so they can continue to make a living.