Councilors reject 50% bus fare rise

JAKARTA (JP): Councilors rejected yesterday a request to raise intercity bus fares by 50 percent for the Idul Fitri holidays.

The Association of Public Transportation Owners's (Organda) city branch made the request Thursday.

Councilor Hasan Dasy of the United Development Party faction said yesterday such a large increase would burden travelers too much.

"I don't agree. A 50 percent hike would strangle the poor who cannot afford a sudden hike," Hasan said.

Bus operators should not think only about profits, he said.

Organda's city branch chairman Aip Syarifuddin argued a 50 percent hike, double the government-set 25 percent increase, would prevent bus operators illegally raising prices.

Lukman F. Mokoginta, who chairs the Indonesian Democratic Party faction, also rejected the argument.

"The association cannot guarantee the hike will stop bus operators raising fares on their own," Lukman said.

Illegal rises would depend on what opportunities bus operators saw.

He agreed with Hasan that not all travelers could afford more than regular fares.

Lukman said the 25 percent increase was enough.

The special fares, based on current fares, will start at 6 a.m. on Feb. 13 and end at 6 a.m. on March 2.

Aip had said a 50 percent rise would avoid the annual problem of bus operators extorting travelers and bus operators losing money because of empty buses returning to Jakarta.

Travelers have said they often had to pay up to three times the regular fare without being guaranteed a seat, while operators said they were forced to raise fares to compensate for empty buses on return trips.

The City Land Transportation Control Agency estimated 1.6 million travelers would use intercity buses. The state railway company Perumka, said it was providing 169,000 seats a day for travelers from Jakarta.

The city administration will operate 9,397 buses during Idul Fitri including 2,095 extra buses which usually ply city routes.

The buses would be pooled at existing bus terminals including Pulo Gadung and Kampung Rambutan, East Jakarta, Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta and Kalideres, West Jakarta.

In addition, there will be 15 additional terminals in the city's five mayoralties.

Among the terminals are Grogol and Daan Mogot terminals, West Jakarta, Pinang Ranti terminal, East Jakarta, Tanjung Priok and Muara Angke terminals, North Jakarta, and terminals on Jl. Kapten P. Tendean and Jl. Abdul Rochim, South Jakarta.

The City Population Office estimates 3.5 million Jakartans go to their hometowns each Idul Fitri and return with 300,000 relatives and friends looking for work. (ste)