Minister tells PPD bus firm to improve public service
Minister tells PPD bus firm to improve public service
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto has asked the newly inducted board of directors of the city bus company PPD to take proper measures to improve its service to the public.
"PPD, as a state-owned company, should take a leading role in efforts to better serve the public," Haryanto said.
Antara reported that the minister was referring to frequent complaints from consumers regarding PPD in particular and poor transit service to the city's population of 8.5 million in general.
In order to improve its image, Haryanto underlined the necessity for the new board of directors to manage the company in a professional manner in line with the concept of modern management.
Haryanto said the Ministry of Transportation will take whatever measures it can to help the PPD management achieve its noble objective and role as stabilizer of public transportation in the city.
"But the help should not make the board of directors so complacent that they assume that the government will lend its hand in case anything goes wrong with the company," Haryanto said.
In a major reshuffle affecting top echelon employees of the company, Haryanto inducted Brig. Gen. (ret) Soedarko as PPD's new president on Tuesday replacing Col. Yahya Subandi, who had been in the post since 1990.
The minister also installed Col. Djatsantoso as PPD operational director, Nur Usman as financial director, Prijo Soebiandono as technical director and Anwar Delmy as general affairs director.
During the induction ceremony, Haryanto also installed Vice Marshal T.B. Jogyanto as an expert staff member to the minister, Col. R. Mohamad Buchary as administrator of Tanjung Perak harbor in East Java and Col. Suyono Dipo as the administrator of Ujungpandang harbor in South Sulawesi.
No comment
Haryanto would not comment on the reasons behind the reshuffle at PPD, which operates more than 1,400 wide-bodied buses in the greater Jakarta area.
But an informed source said that only 900 PPD buses ply Jakarta's streets every day because many of the buses in the fleet are idle due to mismanagement.
The minister also urged the PPD management to explore the possibility of a better, wider scope of cooperation with private companies to develop its transportation business and to repair its idle fleet.
The company has signed a cooperation agreement with a company under Humpuss Group to repair and manage its double-decker buses.
Haryanto also asked PPD to explore the possibility of cooperating in line with a government sponsored proposal to operate around 1,500 new gas-powered buses in Jakarta. (09/has)