Ferry owners demand fare hike, threaten to strike
Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung
Sea transportation between Bakauheni in Lampung province and Merak in Banten province could be paralyzed soon as the local union of ferry operators has threatened to stop services until the authorities meet their demands to increase ferry fares.
The operators asked the government on Tuesday to increase the fares by up to 79 percent, otherwise they would stage a massive strike.
A strike would severely disrupt goods and passenger traffic between cities in Java and Sumatra, given that 24 ships operate daily in the Sunda Strait.
"If my boss tells me to strike, that's what I'll do," a ferry crewman, who wished to remain anonymous, said.
A company that operates the ferry Mufidah carried out its threat by withdrawing services on Monday evening. At 7 p.m., the ship unloaded passengers and commodities at Bakauheni but then departed without passengers.
The situation panicked employees of the state-owned riverboat transportation firm PT ASDP at Bakauheni. But the "strike" only lasted for an hour as the ship operator met with officials from the local transportation office to negotiate with them.
"The Banten provincial office of the ministry of transportation has ensured that there will be a fares increase within two days to three days," Nurhasan Zen, chairman of the Association of Riverboat Transportation Operators (Gapasdaf), said.
Nurhasan said he had proposed the fares increase to Minister of Transportation Agum Gumelar and House of Representatives (DPR) Commission IV for transportation and infrastructure affairs.
The official said the increase was unavoidable because of frequent fluctuations in fuel prices.
He denied reports that the association had planned a massive strike, saying that it would "likely reduce" the service from 58 trips to 20 trips daily for reasons of efficiency.
The Bakauheni-Merak ferry service is the major surface transportation route that connects Sumatra with Java. Twenty-four ships operate for 24 hours a day, making 58 trips and carrying an estimated 28,000 passengers and 4,200 vehicles.
Apart from the ferry, 10 speedboats are also available for commuters at a higher fare.
But people on a budget choose the ferry, which is Rp 2,750 (30 US cents) for third class, Rp 5,000 second class, or Rp 7,500 first class.
The journey from Bakauheni to Merak takes three hours to three-and-a-half hours by ferry, while the speedboat takes only about 45 minutes.
Asked about the planned higher fares, several passengers expressed disappointment as that would increase their expenditure.
"If they were followed up by improved services, it would be no problem," said Achmad Syafei, 42, a passenger from Palembang, South Sumatra.
Sriyatun, 34, from East Lampung expressed similar concerns, suggesting that the operators should improve security on board the ferries.
Almost all of the 24 ferries are in a poor condition. Most were built before 1983. Only three -- Ontoseno, Jatra and Mufidah -- are in relatively good condition.
The Menggala was made in 1971 and started operating in 1987, while Nusa Dharma and Jatra I BSP started operating in 1984 and 1992 respectively.
Head of the operational division of ASDP at Bakauheni Martin Usanjati acknowledged that the ships were not up to international standard.
"They are below the standards set by the International Maritime Organization. That's the situation. (If we had to meet the standards), there would be no ferries to serve the public," Martin said.