Fare evaders inflict huge monthly losses upon KAI

Fare evaders inflict huge monthly losses upon KAI

By Multa Firdaus

JAKARTA (JP): Poor ticket control and weak law enforcement
have for years provided leeway for economy-class electric and
diesel train passengers to evade paying fares.

A survey conducted recently shows that 20 percent of 450,000
commuters using the trains were fare evaders, creating another
headache for state railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI)
with unpaid tickets amounting to Rp 800 million annually.

KAI spokesman Zainal Abidin said the company has never
expected to see profits from its electric train (KRL) and diesel
train (KRD) business since the trains began operations more than
a decade ago.

"It is impossible to benefit from KRL and KRD services, even
if everybody pays to get on board," Zainal told The Jakarta Post
recently.

The fares for both train types range from Rp 500 (5 U.S.
cents) to Rp 1,500.

According to Zainal, illegal passengers have drawn concern due
to the fact that many of them can afford to pay for tickets.

"The survey revealed that they did not buy tickets because of
a lack of time. They said their trains were departing when they
reached the railway stations," Zainal said.

KAI conducted the survey in a bid to improve services.

Electric and diesel trains ply 158.7 kilometers of track in
Jakarta and its neighboring towns of Bogor, Bekasi and Tangerang.
KAI operates 332 electric cars and 42 diesel cars per day with a
capacity to carry just 140,000 passengers.

Zainal said both services contribute Rp 4.6 billion per month
to KAI's revenues, but the company receives practically no income
because most of the money is spent on paying electricity expenses
and operational costs.

He said it was very difficult to control illegal passengers,
primarily because of a shortage of human resources.

"The company only employs 600 officers who have to check
450,000 KRL and KRD passengers every day," he said.

He said KAI once asked for police help, but the effort was
fruitless because the officers could not carry out their job in
such overloaded trains, particularly during peak hours between 6
a.m. and 9 a.m. and between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Train conductors are another matter, said Zainal.

"They do not dare take stern measures against passengers who
fail to show tickets. In some cases, conductors opt to leave fare
evaders alone after their demand for tickets are unheeded by the
passengers," Zainal said.

KAI Jakarta Bogor Tangerang Bekasi Operation Division chief,
Bambang Sulistio, said there were reports of conductors, who are
usually older, being beaten by fare evaders.

"That's why the conductors usually have to compromise by
asking the illegal passengers to pay a fine whenever they will,"
Bambang said.

In order not to burden the conductors, Bambang said KAI has
asked its employees at railway stations to carry out ticket
checks, but the effort did not work well as the officers were
reluctant sometimes to argue with the would-be fare evaders.

Bambang said the way railway stations are built also allows
passengers to skip ticket control.

He said the use of a one-door policy is the most effective way
to prevent illegal passengers.

"But, building a 'sterile' station is too costly, not to
mention the negative response from people living nearby," he
said. Building such a station would necessitate the railway
company building a long and tall fence, the cost of which is
beyond its reach, said Bambang.

An illegal passenger who asked for anonymity told the Post
during a trip from Pasar Minggu to Kota on Friday that he did not
buy a ticket because he was disappointed with KAI's poor
services.

"Why buy a ticket if the service is very poor?" he asked,
without elaborating.

Another regular passenger, Maria, 25, a Depok, West Java
resident, blamed rampant illegal passengers on conductors'
leniency.

"If ticket checks were strictly applied, many illegal
passengers would be unable to take the train," she said. She
suggested that KAI improve its services to encourage passengers
to buy tickets.

Sunandar, 39, a Bogor resident, shared Maria's view. He said
KAI employees were too lazy to carry out ticket checks.

"That's why so many people are not afraid of taking a train
without buying a ticket," he said.