Councilor, residents against bus fare hike

JAKARTA (JP): A city councilor expressed his strong opposition on Saturday to the intention of the city chapter of the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) to propose a 25 percent hike in city bus fares.

Ali Wongso Sinaga, head of Commission D for development affairs, said that the proposal, if accepted by the government, would undermine the standard of living of city residents already hit by the prolonged economic crisis.

"Jakartans are still reeling from the high electricity tariffs and the recent hikes in telephone tariffs. Now, the bus fares... it's too much," Ali told The Jakarta Post.

"They will not be able to deal with it."

Head of Organda's Jakarta chapter Aip Syaifuddin told the Post on Friday that his organization was proposing the hike to cope with high operational costs.

This, he said, was crucial for bus owners as they were no longer able to cope with skyrocketing prices of vehicle spare parts.

Aip added that he would also consider asking the government to reduce import duties on vehicle spare parts as well as taxes on changing vehicle ownership and vehicle sales.

Ali said that the proposal was actually unnecessary if the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Trade and Industry could revise import duties and taxes.

"Organda still has time. It can ask the government again to reduce import duties and erase taxes, even though this idea has already been rejected several times," Ali said.

He added that the effects of the tariff increase would be insignificant without proper revision of those taxes.

"The Ministry of Finance does not want to help Organda at all with more loans, while the Ministry of Trade and Industry doesn't believe that Organda's proposal for tax revisions would work."

"What is Organda to do?"

Several city residents shared Ali's opinion, saying that the increase would bring about too much pressure on their families' incomes.

Adi of Senen, Central Jakarta, said that increases to the Rp 700 per day for the Patas bus to his workplace in the Roxy Mas complex in West Jakarta would be too much.

"If the Patas bus fare is raised to Rp 1,000, I'll be forced to spend Rp 24,000 a month instead of the usual Rp 16,800," he said.

"I work as a salesman in an electronics store and have a monthly earning of only Rp 250,000. I have three children," Adi said.

"How will I and my family live? Please ask the government to forget both the bus fare and telephone tariff hikes."

Rina of West Jakarta said that she works as a teacher in a state-run high school in South Jakarta and takes the Kopaja bus daily.

"I cannot afford the hike on my salary. Many people in the capital will protest if the tariff is raised. Please, for the sake of our peace of mind, consider the effects of the crisis and act wisely," Rina said.

Djunaedi of Pademangan, North Jakarta, said that he made between Rp 100,000 and Rp 150,000 a month selling baby clothes and women's underwear at the Palmerah market in Central Jakarta.

"My earnings are hardly enough to feed my wife and children," Djunaedi said.

"I come by Patas bus daily... I really cannot take a hike in bus fares. The government must not be so cruel." (ylt)