Kuningan to have pilot bus terminal
Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Kuningan
The Ministry of Transportation is planning to build a large bus terminal in Kuningan regency, West Java, that will cost the state Rp 20 billion (US$2.2 million).
The terminal, which is part of a national pilot project, will be built to accommodate the high rate of mobility among Kuningan residents, according to Kuningan Regent Aang Hamid Suganda.
Hamid said that the terminal, which is located in Kertawinangun subdistrict, Kuningan regency, will occupy five hectares of land. The project, to be completed by the end of 2006, will be financed from the state budget, except for the purchase of land from local residents. "Kuningan regency and West Java province will provide the land, which will cost us Rp 1.8 billion (US$200,000)," said Hamid recently.
The project was initiated in early this year by Agum Gumelar, the then Minister of Transportation.
Hamid said that the project was very important for Kuningan and West Java residents in general. He said that people in Kuningan are highly mobile, with some 200,000 people, or some 20 percent of Kuningan's 1.03 million residents, travel each year into and out of the regency, and buses are the most popular mode of transportation.
The regency, which is on the border between West Java and Central Java regencies, has no railway lines or airports.
"Each day, at least 80 buses enter and exit the Kuningan regency, which is evidence of the high mobility of our residents," said Hamid.
Kuningan residents are known for obtaining their livelihood from out of their area. Many Kuningan residents flock to Jakarta and other major cities nationwide, work in various professions, notably running small instant noodle restaurants and coffee shops.
The new terminal will be able to accommodate some 800 buses each day. The government will also build complete public facilities at the terminal, including a medical post, police post, restaurants, prayer room, public toilets and a shopping center. "Local residents will be encouraged to open stalls in the shopping center so that it can improve their welfare," said Hamid.