More delays in busway start-up looming

Urip Hudiono and Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang/Jakarta

The question whether the launch of the city's controversial busway project will be delayed surfaced yet again when head of the Jakarta Transportation Agency, Rustam Effendi, contradicted a recent statement by Governor Sutiyoso, saying that the project would definitely start operating according to plan on Jan. 15.

"For the time being, only a force majeur such as a major flood in the city could delay it," Rustam said on Friday after opening the week-long training for 116 busway drivers at the National Police Traffic Training Center in Serpong, Tangerang.

His statement contradicted Sutiyoso's, who had said on Thursday, that the project might be delayed again if important infrastructure and major issues concerning the project were not resolved by Jan. 15.

Sutiyoso made his statement during a ceremony attended by 2,098 personnel of the busway task force at the National Monument (Monas) Park in Central Jakarta.

The city's busway project has been postponed four times. Initially slated to begin in October 2002 it was postponed until December 2002, then December 2003 and finally Jan. 15.

Some infrastructure for the busway like the 23 shelters are being rushed although the city administration claimed on Dec. 18 that they were finished already. Several ramps connecting the pedestrian bridges with the shelters are still being built.

PT Jakarta Express Trans (JET) -- a consortium of five transportation companies Ratax, Bianglala, PPD, Steady Safe and Pahala Kencana, which will manage the project -- was officially established only on Thursday, a week before the project is scheduled to kick off.

"We will immediately start drafting management policies of the consortium and operational procedures for the project, including the contract and remuneration of the drivers," the consortium's newly appointed president director Bubung Burhana said on Friday.

The city administration will recruit 1,288 new personnel for its public order agency as some 500 officers have been assigned to support the busway joint task force.

"We need to replace our personnel to ensure that our programs this year won't be affected by a shortage of personnel," said the agency deputy head Harianto Bajuri.

Harianto did not reveal when the recruitment would be carried out but only said that it would be conducted "this year."

The agency has a total of 3,058 personnel.

Harianto said that the agency would still pay the officer's monthly salary of Rp 750,000 (US$88). The agency will also pay their meal allowance.

"We will also pay their insurance coverage, an insurance premium of about Rp 70,000 per month for each of them," he said.

Later this year, the officers will be transferred to the Jakarta Transportation Agency, he added.

When asked if the massive recruitment for the agency was linked to the administration's eviction program, Harianto refused to comment.

"You should address that question to the mayors," he said, adding that the mayors have the say on the evictions while his agency only supports the program.