New bridge affects river transportation

New bridge affects river transportation

BANJARMASIN, South Kalimantan: The Barito river transportation
has lost its popularity since the new bridge was opened last
week.

The owners of ferries and speedboats said yesterday that
business had been slack, Antara reported yesterday.

"Ferries and speedboats were the only means of transportation
for people who wanted to go from South to Central Kalimantan. But
now that the bridge has opened ferry and boat businesses are very
slow," a ferry owner said.

Owners of speedboats plying the Banjarmasin-Palangkaraya
(Central Kalimantan) and Banjarmasin-Kapuas (Central Kalimantan)
routes also voiced their complaints, saying the number of
passengers had drastically dropped. People preferred to travel by
car than by boat or ferry, they added.

The 1.82 kilometer bridge was inaugurated by President
Soeharto on April 23.

A ferry owner said he earned Rp 7,000 per day before the
bridge opened. He said his earnings had dropped significantly,
but did not elaborate.

Many speedboat owners said they planned to lower the fare to
lure passengers.

The current speedboat fare for the Banjarmasin-Palangkaraya
route is Rp 22,000 per passenger, while the Banjarmasin-Kapuas
route is Rp 5,000 per person. (sur)