Fare to rise by between 6% and 15%

Fare to rise by between 6% and 15%

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The City Transportation Council (DTK) recommended on Monday that
transportation fares be raised by an average of 10 percent,
despite public transportation operators' demand for an increase
of up to 90 percent.

"We are sorry that the Organization of Land Transportation
Owners (Organda) is not satisfied with the decision ... Our aim
is to minimize the burden carried by the public while seeing to
it that public transportation operators do not suffer losses,"
transportation council chairman Sutanto Soehodho said at City
Hall.

The new tariffs recommended by the council range from 6
percent to 15 percent, far lower than the 90 percent demanded by
Organda.

The transportation council's recommendation is likely to be a
final decision as the City Council, which has the final say over
the issue, said that in principle it could agree with the
proposed hike.

"We deem the proposed hike -- thoroughly discussed by experts
in the DTK -- as logical and tolerable, although some public
transportation operators continue to express their objections,"
City Council speaker Ade Surapriatna said.

Ade said the recommendation would be further discussed by City
Council Commission D, which oversees transportation affairs, and
Commission C for city revenue. "But, of course, we will need less
time to reach a final decision on such a comprehensive
recommendation," he said.

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso urged the council to make a final
decision on Tuesday at the latest so that he could issue a
gubernatorial decree to make the fare increase come into effect.

The new hike is expected to end a mass strike carried out by
public transportation drivers over several days following the
fuel price hike.

Amid uncertainties, some crews of public buses and vans have
reportedly raised their fares unilaterally by between 10 percent
and 15 percent following the fuel price increase.

Separately, City Economic Agency head Budirama Natakusumah
said that the administration was also considering increasing taxi
fares.

"Organda proposed the taxi fare hike last year to the City
Council, but the proposal was rejected. Following the fuel price
hike, we are studying the possibility of raising taxi fares,"
said Budirama.

Organda proposed in March last year a flagfall of Rp 5,700 or
90 percent of the current rate of Rp 3,000.

It has also proposed an increase in the incremental charge to
Rp 1,800 per kilometer from the current Rp 1,200.

In addition, it asked the administration to increase the
waiting fee to a minimum Rp 18,000 per hour, from Rp 12,000 per
hour.

Data issued in 2002 showed that 40 taxi companies were
operating in the capital, with a combined fleet of around 24,000
taxis.

Vehicles Current fares Organda's proposal DTK's proposal

public minivans Rp 1,600 Rp 1,852

economy buses Rp 1,100 Rp 2,092 Rp 1,169

Metromini buses Rp 1,200 Rp 1,876 Rp 1,313

business buses Rp 1,500 Rp 2,859 Rp 1,532

air-conditioned Rp 3,300 Rp 4,850

buses

Sources: Organda and City Transportation Council