Metro Mini tries to improve discipline of its drivers

JAKARTA (JP): PT Metro Mini, a minibus company which has been involved in many road accidents, has tried to improve the discipline of its drivers, an executive says.

"The company in cooperation with City Land Transportation Control Agency and the city police office, has conducted public presentations and a series of training activities for its drivers," said Johanes Damanik, director of corporate development of PT Metro Mini, told reporters yesterday.

He said that the drivers who took part in the training were given identity cards.

Metro Mini drivers are notorious for their recklessness which has all too often led to accidents claiming human lives.

In the past 10 days three Metro Mini buses were burned by irate passengers after they killed three road users and injured four others in separate accidents.

While last March 33 passengers were killed when a Metro Mini careened into a river in North Jakarta. As in many other mishaps, the Metro Mini driver fled the scene.

Damanik also indicated that those involved in the accidents were mostly unauthorized drivers, who got the buses from authorized drivers.

He said that drivers have their own version of social solidarity, and often give unauthorized colleagues a taste of life behind the wheel.

"It is not easy to detect the habit," said Damanik.

Metro Mini has more than 5,000 drivers who operate its 3,061 minibuses, which are actually owned by more than 2,000 people.

Damanik said that the decision to hire a driver is made completely by the owners and that the company issues the identity cards to drivers based on recommendations from the bus owners.

Linda Herawati, who owns 16 minibuses, told The Jakarta Post recently that she let her husband select and test the drivers.

She added that she employs a special trick to continually evaluate their driving ability.

"The way I do it is by riding the buses as a passenger so the driver does not recognize me. If the driver makes mistakes or drives recklessly I fire him immediately," she said.

She added that so far none of her drivers have been involved in accidents.(03/yns)