Governor says phase out old transit vehicles

Governor says phase out old transit vehicles

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Surjadi Soedirdja reiterated on
Thursday that sooner or later all outdated vehicles currently
operating in the city will be phased out.

"Sooner or later, all vehicles, which are considered no longer
appropriate for operation in the city, will be phased out,"
Surjadi said after swearing in the new chief of the Provincial
Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday.

"But this will start only after new vehicles have been chosen
to replace the old ones," he said, refusing to give details.

The city administration announced plans recently to eliminate
all small public transportation vehicles from the city, including
the three-wheeled vehicles bemo and bajaj and the ojek
(motorcycle taxis) on ground that they are no longer suitable for
transporting passengers.

The city has authorized the Land Transportation Owners
Organization to set up a special team to prepare for the
replacement of the bemo with another type of small vehicle.

According to the chairman of the organization, Aip Syaifuddin,
the team consists of representatives from the City Law Bureau,
the City Land Transportation Control Agency and the City Economic
Bureau.

Aip said that the team decided not to choose the type of
minivans currently operating in the city as mikrolet because they
are not designed for use on narrow roads.

He added that the bemo will be replaced with a 1,000 cc four-
wheeled vehicle especially designed with the same passenger
capacity as the bemo to ply narrow residential roads.

"The city administration has yet to be informed of the
progress in the preparations for replacing the bemo," said H.
Prawoto S. Danoemihardjo, the City's Assistant Secretary for
Economic and Development Affairs.

Tanah Abang is known to have the highest number of bemo in
Jakarta. Other areas with many bemo are the Senen and Jl. Kebon
Sirih areas, the streets around the Cipto Mangunkusumo General
Hospital and Pulogadung, Salemba Tengah and Rawasari.

Most bemo drivers are not the owners of the vehicles. They pay
about Rp 15,000 (US$6.81) per day to the owners and spend Rp
12,000 per day on petrol. They also have to pay Rp 600 to city
officials daily and must set money aside for repairs. Repairs are
common since most bemo were imported in 1962. (31)