Ferry owners demand fare hike, threaten to strike

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.