Founding of new taxi, bus firms opposed

Founding of new taxi, bus firms opposed

JAKARTA (JP): The land transport firms association, Organda,
demanded yesterday that the administration stop issuing new
permits for taxi and bus companies.

Instead, Organda officials suggested that the existing
transport companies be allowed to increase their number of
vehicles to improve public transportation services.

Organda chief Aip Syaifuddin said yesterday that increasing
the number of transportation companies, especially bus and taxi,
would not solve the chronic transportation problems.

"The best way to improve the service would be to expand the
existing companies' fleets," Aip said in the organization's
workshop.

He explained that the number of taxi companies has increased
from 18 in 1993 to 26 this year, and yet the public demand for
public transport vehicles has not been fulfilled.

In 1993, the city administration decided to grant permits to
several new taxi companies in an effort to increase the number of
taxis from 12,000 to 15,000.

"But the target has not been achieved. Currently, there are
only 13,500 taxis," Aip said, adding that this proves that
expanding the existing companies' fleets would be a better
solution.

Aip pointed out that the number of buses and taxis is
inadequate to accommodate all passengers in the city, and that
the administration has projected that there should be 17,000
taxis in the city this year and about 20,000 in the year 2000.

The number of taxis owned by each company varies from 100 to
6,000, with the city administration ruling that a new company can
operate no more than 100 taxis at the start.

Aip also said that the lack of taxis has made those from
outside operate in the city, which is against the regulation.

"About 95 percent of an estimated 4,000 taxis from other
cities, such as Bogor and Bekasi swarm the city everyday and
there is nothing we can do to stop them because the people here
need them," Aip said.

Organda, he said, can accept it if these taxis carry
passengers from their towns to Jakarta because the regulation
allows them to do so, but most of them do not return to their
city of origin after they drop their passengers but remain in the
city to operate.

"We understand that it is difficult to control the practice
but we demand that the city administration do something to stop
it," Aip said.

The annual Organda meeting evaluated the organization's
performance and drew up programs and suggestions on how to solve
transport problems to be proposed to the city administration.

It also discussed the administration's plan to build new
facilities such as the Manggarai integrated terminal in South
Jakarta.(yns)