E. Jakarta terminal to be expanded

JAKARTA (JP): The Kampung Rambutan bus station in East Jakarta will be expanded to accommodate a section dedicated to inter-city buses, an official said yesterday.

J.P. Sepang, the head of the city traffic and land transportation office, said that the construction of the inter- city bus terminal would begin as soon as the city administration had taken over the Kampung Rambutan terminal.

The bus station, whose inauguration several years ago had to be postponed because of irregularities, is currently still being managed by its developer, PT Wahyu Permata Lestari. The terminal, which serves both city and inter-city buses, is to be handed over to the administration as soon as it has successfully completed its trial-run period.

Sepang said the city administration had allocated Rp 1.1 billion (about US$500,000) for the expansion project.

He made the remarks while visiting the Kampung Rambutan and Taman Mini bus terminals with members of the city council's commission D, which is in charge of public works.

H. Bambang Permadi, the head of Kampung Rambutan terminal, told reporters that the bus station currently occupied an area of 8.7 hectares and was only adequate for city buses.

He said that between 700 and 800 inter-city buses used the terminal every day, carrying about 19,000 passengers.

Meanwhile, the 2.5-hectare Taman Mini terminal, which has been under construction since 1991, is expected to go into operation soon, Sepang said.

He also said that the city administration would soon replace the controversial bemo, the three-wheeled vehicles used for public transport, with larger vehicles. He declined to reveal what kind of vehicles would replace the bemo. (32