Minibus excluded from 'closed door' policy: Police
Minibus excluded from 'closed door' policy: Police
JAKARTA (JP): The municipal administration yesterday indicated
a temporary exemption for Mikrolet and other buses with fewer
than 12 seats from the city administration policy requiring
public transit vehicles to close their doors while in motion.
"The decision will also apply to other small public transit
vehicles operating in the outskirts," City Police Chief Maj. Gen.
Mochammad Hindarto was quoted by City Police spokesman Lt. Col.
A. Latief Rabar as saying.
The decision, however, will remain effective for wide-bodied
city buses and medium ones, such as Metromini,Kopaja and Koantas
Bima minibuses, Hindarto said.
The decision to temporarily exempt 12-seat minibuses from the
heavily debated policy, apparently taken by the government
following last week's protest from Mikrolet drivers, was reached
at a meeting of police officers, officials of the City Traffic
and Land Transportation Control Agency (DLLAJ), and Association
of the Land Transport Owners's Association (Organda) at
Hindarto's office yesterday.
Hindarto said that the decision was taken in a bid to give
time to owners of the small public transit vehicles to install or
fix their doors.
"The decision on how long the Mikrolet minibuses and other
public vehicles will be exempted from this policy will be
announced later. But we hope it won't be too long ," Hindarto
said.
Immediate report
Based on the decision, all owners of 12-seat minibuses serving
as public transit vehicles will be required to report to the City
Police Headquarters soon after they have put on or fix their
doors.
"The sooner, the better," Hindarto said but refused to give a
deadline.
On Sunday, Hindarto told reporters that the police had decided
to give a period of three months to small public transit vehicles
linking places in the outskirts of the city, such as the KWK and
Angkot to adapt themselves to the policy.
Last week Organda sent a letter to Hindarto asking for the
postponement of the policy on all 12-seat minibuses following
minibus crew protests.
"The chief (Hindarto) received the letter on Saturday and
discussed the issue with related officials today," the spokesman
said.
Earlier on Saturday, commenting on the massive strike and
protest committed by hundreds of Mikrolet drivers in several
areas around the city Friday, Hindarto reiterated that the police
would enforce the policy irrespective of their types and sizes.
Under Article 54 of Traffic Law number 12 issued in 1992 crews
of public transit vehicles found guilty of violating the 'closed
door' policy must pay a fine of Rp 20,000 (US$9.30) and
an administrative fee of Rp 600 (30 US cents) per person.
So far, the team has ticketed around 1,500 drivers for failing
to closed their doors while in motion.
Meanwhile, TB Rais, deputy governor in charge of development
and economic affairs, urged related agencies under the city
administration and the police to coordinate their activities on
traffic.
"So far, the coordination among them looks less than
satisfactory," Rais was quoted by Antara as saying.
The police, he said, thought the closed door policy already
applied to all public buses, including small ones, and ticketed
all buses whose doors were open while in motion.(bsr/jsk)