New bus permits 'not based on needs'

New bus permits 'not based on needs'

JAKARTA (JP): The Chairman of the Organization of Land
Transportation Owners (Organda) said yesterday that
the addition of permits for new vehicles was not based on
apparent needs.

This was one weakness in public transportation management
which led to last week's strikes, Aip Syarifuddin said in a press
release yesterday.

"Severe competition," he said, has led vehicle owners "to try
every possible way to get lucrative routes", but he did not
elaborate.

The result of new permits issued, he said, was that new
vehicles operated in or near existing, lucrative routes
overcrowded with passengers.

Another weakness in transportation management was lack of
supervision away from bus terminals, he said, which has resulted
in the mushrooming of minivans with no route permits operated by
unregistered drivers.

Rumors

Although there may have been third parties and rumors of new
buses plying similar routes, he said, Organda had recognized the
above weaknesses.

The organization also admitted that many owners used permits
to operate new vehicles on already crowded routes, while
operating their old minivans with the same permits, because the
routes were very profitable.

Aip also said that a special team on bus routes from the City
Land Transportation Agency (DLLAJ) had held their first meeting
Thursday.

"To prevent similar incidents happening again, the team has
agreed to meet once a week," he said. The meetings aim to make
sure that increases in permitted vehicles on routes are based on
thorough considerations.

"Insya Allah (God willing), Organda will always pay attention
to the welfare of drivers...and the interest of passengers," Aip
said.

For the past few weeks, bus and minivans drivers have demanded
Organda and DLLAJ act more transparently in issuing route permits
and make known the number of vehicles allowed on certain routes.
They said DLLAJ was too lenient in issuing permits.

A councilor of the United Development Party, Djafar Badjeber,
has accused DLLAJ of "collusion" with bus owners in the issuance
of permits.

J.P. Sepang, DLLAJ's chief, said the agency had not issued
permits for new routes in the past two years.

Sepang said new vehicles were added to cover routes which had
not been covered before. (10)