Cooler 'mikrolet' minivans await commuters

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

There is good news for commuters who are forced to squeeze into packed mikrolet minivans to get to and from their offices, enduring claustrophobic conditions sometimes made worse when a fellow passenger lights up a cigarette.

The Jakarta chapter of the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) introduced on Monday the first two air- conditioned minivans plying the Kampung Melayu-Gandaria route, both in East Jakarta.

"The two minivans start operating today. We are preparing another 50 minivans that will soon be operating," Aip Syarifuddin of Organda said.

Organda executives met with members of the City Council's Commission D overseeing transportation and development affairs on Monday to introduce the new minivans.

Aip said some mikrolet owners had expressed their desire to upgrade their fleets to air-conditioned minivans.

"Since only minor modifications are required to the old vehicles, the upgrades will only cost between Rp 5 million and Rp 6 million per minivan, including the cost to arrange a modification permit from the City Transportation Agency," he said.

The chairman of the Organda Jakarta chapter, Herry Rotty, said the plan to upgrade the mikrolet fleets was raised in May amid fears that passengers would turn to better and more convenient forms of public transportation, like the busway or the planned monorail.

"We want to upgrade our services to passengers in terms of convenience and security, especially for those office workers who rely on our services," he said.

The Jakarta Transportation Agency had earlier told Organda not to increase fares for mikrolet, but this order is likely to be relaxed.

"We need to raise fares slightly to adjust for the higher fuel consumption as a result of the powerful air conditioners," he said, adding that the new fares would not burden passengers.

Currently, fares range from Rp 1,000 to Rp 3,000 depending on the distance of the trip.

The Jakarta Post had the opportunity to try out one of the new minivans, which was not very different from the old ones except for the air conditioner and a hydraulic door controlled by the driver.

A mikrolet can carry a maximum of 11 passengers.

Commission D chairman Sayogo Hendrosoebroto welcomed the presence of the cooler minivans.

"But I think the owners should install transparent windows in their vehicles for security reasons," he commented.