Jakarta, W. Java agree to settle rift over taxis
Jakarta, W. Java agree to settle rift over taxis
JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta and the West Java administrations
have agreed to work together to settle the recent controversy
over the operation of taxis in Greater Jakarta.
Jakarta Governor Surjadi Soedirdja and West Java Governor
Nuryana have agreed that their administrations should join hands
in handling the matter.
"I have asked the city land transportation agency to review
its taxi agreement with the West Java land transportation
agency," Surjadi said yesterday.
In return, the West Java administration will discuss the
operation of taxis in Greater Jakarta, Nuryana said.
According to the agreement, signed last year by
representatives of his agency and officials from the West Java
provincial government, taxis from Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi are
allowed to bring passengers into the city but are prohibited from
picking up passengers while here.
The agency has been intensifying its efforts to catch out-of-
town taxis following complaints from owners of Jakarta cab
companies about the out-of-town taxis operating in the city.
These efforts had the effect of frightening taxi drivers, some
of whom misunderstood the policy and started refusing to take
passengers to outlying areas like Ciputat and Tangerang.
Surjadi said he had also asked the agency to review a city
policy limiting the number of taxis operating in the city.
The city administration earlier turned down a request by the
association of land transport firm owners, Organda, to increase
the number of taxis operating in the city. City Hall says Jakarta
now has 18,207 taxis owned by 27 Jakarta companies.
Organda, on the other hand, says there are only 13,500 city
taxis in Jakarta. This, Organda says, is the main reason why most
of the taxis from Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi, which number about
4,000, operate in Jakarta every day.
Organda
Meanwhile, Organda treasurer, Abdulah Husein, said that the
organization would make several proposals, including the
cancellation of the current agreement, to help settle the taxi
rift.
"The agreement could be eliminated but there would be a quota
on Bogor, Tangerang, Bekasi taxis operating here in the city and
Jakarta taxis operating in West Java cities. The quota would be
based on the cities' population as well as the market segment,"
he said.
He added that such a policy would also avoid unhealthy
competition among taxi companies.
Another possibility, Abdulah said, would be to give special
signs to out-of-town taxis allowing them to operate in the city,
with the same regime being applied to city taxis wishing to
operate in West Jakarta.(yns)