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)