DAMRI and PPD to deal with the Idul Fitri exodus

DAMRI and PPD to deal with the Idul Fitri exodus

JAKARTA (JP): The government will use buses of two state-owned
companies as the main fleet for the transportation of people
leaving from Jakarta for the Idul Fitri holidays in February, a
minister said yesterday.

"The state-owned transportation company DAMRI and the Jakarta
administration-owned bus firm PPD will be the main suppliers of
buses for transporting passengers in the coming Idul Fitri
holiday, while the private bus companies will have a
complementary function," Minister of Transportation Haryanto
Dhanutirto told reporters here after opening a seminar on
regulations on export-import activities.

He said that the operation of some 150 buses from various
private companies which were black-listed during last year's Idul
Fitri holiday for having raised their fares unwarrantedly, will
be limited to feeder operations.

The minister said in a recent hearing with the House of
Representatives' commission for transportation that an additional
25,000 buses will be prepared for the next Idul Fitri holidays,
when the number of passengers is expected to increase by 15
percent to 13 million.

However, sources at the DAMRI and PPD companies told The
Jakarta Post yesterday that they plan to operate only 461 and 300
buses respectively for the holiday.

The minister also said that the state-shipping company PT
Pelni will provide two ships for travelers in the Lebaran holiday
to serve Jakarta, Semarang in Central Java and Surabaya in East
Java.

He said that during the Christmas and new year holidays, his
company's service will be concentrated on the Jakarta-Manado-
Ambon routes.

Haryanto said yesterday that the government has involved the
organization of land transportation owners, Organda, in the
preparations of transportation measures during the new year and
Idul Fitri holidays. (kod)