Government says new fares take effect on Friday

JAKARTA (JP): The new higher fares for land and sea passenger transportation will take effect on Friday as planned in spite of last minute objections from the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI).

Anwar Supriyadi, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunication, told YLKI representatives that the fare hikes of between 52 and 70 percent had already been approved by the House of Representatives in June.

Conceding that the increases would be burdensome to the public, he promised that they would be accompanied by improvement in transportation services.

Fares for passenger trains will be increased by up to 72 percent, passenger ships by up to 59 percent, ferries by up to 62 percent and inter-province buses by up to 52 percent.

YLKI chairwoman Indah Suksmaningsih told Anwar at the meeting that the agency could only agree to a maximum increase of 30 percent, considering the people's economic conditions.

"We insist that the House of Representatives and the government review the hikes," Indah said.

Admitting the inevitable, Indah said YLKI would monitor transportation operators to keep their promise to improve their services in return for the hefty fare hikes.

YLKI has come under a lot of criticism for its belated response to the announcement of the fare hike in June, in contrast to its swift and aggressive reaction in opposing increases in Jakarta bus fares earlier this year.

In her defense, Indah said that this time round the agency was too ill funded to launch a consumer survey which it needed in preparing a response.

In the survey that it eventually carried out, an overwhelming 70 percent of the 300 respondents objected to the hikes, she added.

She said many people had phoned YLKI in the last two months asking for its reaction to the planned fare increases.

"But our silence should not be construed as YLKI's agreement to the government decision to increase the fares," Indah said.

YLKI would continue to lobby for a review of the fare increases as it monitored the transportation operators, she said.

"If the operators continue to give poor services like today, YLKI will file a lawsuit," Indah said. (01)