More travelers shift to trains

JAKARTA: Electric trains in the city saw an increase in passengers following the recent fuel price increases, Detikcom reported on Tuesday.

"The number of passengers on electric trains in Greater Jakarta has increased by about 2.6 percent daily since the fuel price hike on Oct. 1," spokesman for PT Kereta Api (KA) Jakarta Ahmad Sujadi said.

He explained that between Sept. 1 and Sept. 12 the company recorded 3.4 million passengers, while between Oct. 1 and Oct. 12, passengers increased to 3.6 million.

"There was an increase of 161,765 passengers between the two periods, at an average increase of 13,480 people a day," Ahmad said.

Unlike other forms of public transportation in the capital that increased their fares following the fuel price hike, Ahmad said that PT KA had postponed increasing its fares until Nov. 1.

"This will give time for people to take a breather," he said. --JP