Metromini strike enters 3rd day

JAKARTA (JP): Around 40 Metromini drivers plying a East Jakarta route went to the City Land Transportation Agency yesterday to demand that two new Metromini vehicles be banned from the route.

The drivers have been striking since Monday in protest of the new vehicles.

An agency official in charge of traffic and transport control, Dasuki, said the limit for Metromini buses on the Kampung Melayu- Kampung Rambutan route was 60 vehicles but there were presently only 46, including the two new ones.

The Suara Pembaruan afternoon daily reported yesterday that drivers insisted the route was overcrowded. The agency eventually agreed to temporarily withdraw the two Metromini buses from fleet number T53.

"Actually the addition of vehicles is the responsibility of Metromini's operations director," Dasuki said. The agency will discuss the problem with the company, he added. (anr)