Kuningan to have pilot bus terminal

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.