Crackdown on three-in-one violators a fiasco

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A joint operation by the Jakarta Transportation Agency, Public Order Agency and police to uphold the three-in-one traffic policy on major thoroughfares on Friday seemed ineffective as officers seem reluctant to enforce the regulation.

People posing as passengers for a fee, known colloquially as joki was still visible on the first day of the week-long operation.

The Jakarta Post observed on Friday morning that several officers along Jl. Imam Bonjol, Jl. Diponegoro and Jl. Jend. Gatot Subroto were grouping and chatting.

Nearby, several joki were seen trying to thumb a ride with passing cars.

"I haven't heard about the operation," said Budi, a joki who lives in Setiabudi, South Jakarta. He immediately got "a customer" and hopped into the car.

These pseudo passenger usually get paid between Rp 2,000 (23.5 U.S. cents) and Rp 10,000 a trip, depending on the distance.

The three-in-one policy applies on major thoroughfares including Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Jl. Jend. Gatot Subroto, Jl. Hayam Wuruk, Jl. Majapahit, Jl. Veteran, Jl. Juanda and Jl. M.H. Thamrin. The policy requires that each vehicle must have at least three passengers (including the driver) in order to pass major thoroughfares between 6:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. from Monday to Friday. Vehicles with fewer than three passengers have to seek another route.

An officer from the transportation agency, Baharuddin, said that the operation was only a form of "shock therapy" when he was asked about the psuedo passengers still on the streets.

"We just want to educate them about the policy. The operation aims to persuade... We have not arrested any joki," he said.

Another officer Sumarsit, who stood near the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) building on Jl. Jend. Gatot Subroto, said that only a few joki were operating.

"We only told them to leave the area, but none were arrested," he said.

Several officers in two pick up trucks stationed near the Philippine Embassy on Jl. Imam Bonjol, Central Jakarta, were seen resting outside a food kiosk nearby, others were even asleep inside the car, while many joki were waiting for cars on the very same street.

The situation in the three-in-one zone contrasted with the statement of the head of the transportation agency, Rustam Effendy, who had said on Thursday that the police would take stern action by arresting the joki and sending them to the government rehabilitation institutes if convicted of violating traffic bylaws.

The three-in-one policy was launched in the early 1990s but has failed to reduce the chronic traffic congestion in major arterial roads to the city.

Transportation experts have said that the policy was not effective, because the main problem of poor public transportation service has not been addressed.

In April, the administration announced a plan to extend the three-in-one zone from 6:30 a.m. until evening. However, the plan was dropped owing to opposition from the public.