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)