Middlemen still in operation

Middlemen still in operation

From Neraca

The practice of middlemen at some railway stations in Jakarta
is still rife. This is contradictory to the statement of the
communications minister, who said that such practice no longer
exists.

When I wanted to buy tickets, in Gambir Station, for
Yogyakarta, the official in the ticket box told me that the seats
were not available. But when I moved back a few steps two people
promised to find three seats for me and asked me to pay Rp 5000
per seat. I tried to negotiate but they insisted on that price.
As I had to take my family along, I had no choice but to pay the
men.

When I got into the train, I found out that several seats were
vacant. How could it happen, I wondered? Later it was obvious
from my conversation with fellow passengers that the seats were
in the hands of the middlemen, while the tickets were unsold.

Also I was confused by the differences in price of the Senja
Utama ticket for the Jakarta-Solo and Solo-Jakarta trains, which
run on exactly the same track. If you take the Gambir (Jakarta)-
Solo train, you pay Rp 24,000, but Solo-Jakarta train costs you
only Rp 21,000. How come?

SOEPARDJONO

Tangerang, West Java