DLLAJ too lenient over route permit policy, expert says

BANDUNG (JP): A three-day strike by bus drivers in the city last week was caused because the City Land Transportation Agency (DLLAJ) was too lax in issuing route permits, a transportation expert said here Saturday.

Sony Sulaksono Wibowo of the Bandung Technology Institute (ITB) said the agency was authorized to issue permits but "in reality bus company owners can also influence (permit issuance)," Sony, a member of a study team on the city's transportation system, told The Jakarta Post.

After a presentation of the study results he said bus company owners regarded certain routes as more profitable and were determined to gain as much profit as possible by increasing the number of buses on those routes.

Owners would then approach the agency to obtain new permits, he said. Considering the increasing need of consumers, the agency might fulfill the request. But social and economic factors, including competition between drivers, needed more attention, he said.

"The agency sometimes does not consider social factors in implementing the transportation guidelines," Sony said, adding that the agency's guidelines for permits' issuance still lacked recognition of factors like competition between drivers.

"The result is a split between bus companies owners, between those who make a large profit and those whose profits were reduced after the permits' issuance. This led to (last week's) strikes and protests," Sony said.

The strike involved at least 2,000 drivers on the Kebayoran Lama to Tanah Abang route and drivers on similar routes to Kebun Jeruk and Meruya Ilir. They said the strike was sparked by new competition from a cooperative who was given a permit to ply the route from Grogol River in West Jakarta to Kreo in South Jakarta which overlapped their routes and passed through Kebayoran Lama.

Similar strikes were staged by drivers plying the Senen-Kota route, the Tanjung Priok-Cilincing route and the Kampung Melayu to Pulogadung route. New competition from new buses were said to be the cause in each case.

Soni urged the agency and bus owners to find a speedy solution to the problems.

Rojikin, who drives a no. D02 bus from Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, to Ciputat, Tangerang, said drivers had to pay daily levies of Rp 2,200. Daily payments to bus owners were Rp 35,000, he said.

"Drivers are restless now because we hear that there will be additional D02 buses." Drivers had heard a private company had also gained a permit to start an air-conditioned route charging the lowest Rp 300 fare instead of the regular Rp 1,800 for air- conditioned buses, he said.

Earlier this year drivers on the route staged a strike because Organda, the organization of public transport company owners, had started charging new fees, saying the fees would replace illegal levies.

"Getting rid of the levies is impossible," Rojikin said. He said those drawing levies, men called 'timers,' "work for the police."

The joint study between the city and ITB among others aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the number of buses operating in the city based on the number of users and bus companies. The study also proposed changing several existing city bus routes in areas where they overlapped. (ste/anr)