House agrees 25% hike in fares during Idul Fitri

House agrees 25% hike in fares during Idul Fitri

JAKARTA (JP): Legislators have agreed to the government's proposal to increase bus fares by 25 percent during the Idul Fitri holiday.

They also agreed to allow public transportation vehicles to carry 10 percent more passengers than their seating capacity.

Members of the House of Representatives' Commission V, which oversees transportation, tourism, communications and public works, reached the agreement during a consultative meeting with Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto yesterday morning.

Director General of Land Transportation Soejono proposed the 25 percent hike on Thursday, insisting it was needed to offset the losses incurred when buses returned empty after carrying people out of major cities.

He said the fair increase would also help guarantee passengers a more comfortable trip and prevent fares from getting out of control.

The rise would also give security officials better grounds to take legal action against violators, he said.

The special fares will be imposed from 6 a.m. on Feb. 13 until 6 a.m. on March 2, and will be based on current bus fares.

The 10 percent passenger increase will be calculated by the number of seats available.

Golkar legislator Achmadi asked the government to make sure the 10 percent allowance would not require passengers to stand up during the trip, especially on long hauls. He did not mention how this was possible given his recommended increase.

Soejono estimated the number of bus passengers would increase between 5 and 15 percent, requiring his office to provide an additional 1,000 buses.

The buses, he said, would be provided by the state-owned PPD and Damri bus companies and the private Mayasari Bhakti firm. A total of 48,876 buses, with a capacity of 4.9 million passengers, will operate in the country during the holidays.

Starting on Feb. 16 and ending on Feb. 20, East-bound private vehicles and cargo trucks traveling on Java's northern highways will be required to take alternative routes.

Special regulations will also be imposed on heavy vehicles, including container trucks and trailers. Vehicles carrying important import or export goods or carrying cattle and milk will be allowed through.

Haryanto told the legislators that there would be no additional fee imposed on the heavy vehicles. He advised exporters and importers to register for a permit to operate between 6 a.m. on Feb. 16 and 6 a.m. on Feb. 20.

According to Soejono, train passengers were also expected to increase by 10 percent. The government will provide an additional 18 coaches to increase passenger capacity by 150 percent.

Director General of Sea Transportation Soentoro on Thursday also informed that state-owned PT Pelni and a number of private firms will provide 16 additional vessels for the holidays, increasing capacity by almost 24,000 passengers.

Some 34 vessels serving remote routes with a capacity of 4,400 passengers will also be added.

Director General of Air Transportation Zainuddin Sikado said his office would increase the number of flights during the holidays.

"We will also lengthen the working hours at our airports, especially at those expected to be busy during the holiday," he said.

A total of 86,513 airline seats, an increase of 13 percent, will be added to the regular capacity of 287,034 seats a week. (pwn)