More pedicab drivers netted in Central Jakarta

More pedicab drivers netted in Central Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): Personnel of the Central Jakarta mayoralty
apprehended 51 pedicab drivers operating in the area on Monday
evening, officials said in statement released on Tuesday.

The officials said that 43 drivers netted during the raid had
decided to sell their pedicabs to the mayoralty at Rp 250,000
(US$34) each, while the other eight asked that their pedicabs be
sent to their hometowns.

The raid was conducted in six Central Jakarta districts: Tanah
Abang, Sawah Besar, Cempaka Putih, Kemayoran, Johar Baru and
Gambir.

Efforts to ban pedicabs in Central Jakarta began after Jakarta
Governor Sutiyoso issued Decree no. 1/2000 this year, which bans
pedicabs from operating in the capital as of Feb. 22.

The five day-operation, which ended on March 4, has netted a
total of 216 pedicabs, 143 of which were bought by officials of
the Central Jakarta mayoralty. The pedicabs were later dumped in
a junk yard in Cakung, East Jakarta, while the remaining 73 were
sent to the owners' hometowns.

Central Jakarta Mayor Andi S. Abdullah said after the
operation that some 150 of a total 1,500 pedicabs in his area
were still operating.

The mayoralty said that some 216 drivers had agreed to join
the mayoralty's training program that would offer them
alternative jobs. More than half of them were scheduled to start
training on Thursday.

The new jobs provided by the city administration include
vacancies for security guards, vendors, parking wardens and
cleaning services personnel.(06)