New cashless parking system confuses motorists
New cashless parking system confuses motorists
Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A new parking system that has attendants using handheld computers
to collect fees did not go as smoothly as planned when it went
into effect in five areas across the city on Monday as most
motorists complained about various frustrations from using the
new scheme.
The pilot project was implemented on Jl. Bulevar Raya, Kelapa
Gading, North Jakarta; Jl. Jatinegara Timur, East Jakarta; Jl.
Gajah Mada, West Jakarta; Jl. Raden Patah, South Jakarta, and Jl.
Haji Agus Salim, Central Jakarta.
There were various problems, mostly because the parking
attendants were not ready to introduce the system to motorists or
they had trouble operating their handheld computers.
Parking attendants on Jl. Raden Patah ran into difficulties
with many of the motorists refusing to cooperate. The situation
was further worsened by the fact that the attendants were not
fully informed about how the new system operates.
Jaya, for example, who has been working as a parking attendant
for 16 years, needed to have the system explained to him by
supervisors.
He had been on duty for seven hours but only one motorist was
willing to cooperate.
Another parking attendant said that it could take a long time
before the system runs smoothly.
"Most of the motorists who park their cars here are police
officers. They refused to comply with the system," he said.
Jl. Raden Patah runs behind the National Police Headquarters.
Peter, a father of three who parked his car on Jl. Bulevar
Raya, Kelapa Gading, said that the administration should provide
motorists with better service, especially in having the cars
parked so that they will not disturb the flow of traffic.
However, he hoped that the new system would ensure that the
parking fees he paid would go to where they were supposed to and
eventually be funneled back to the public in the form of better
services.
The implementation of the new parking system was also marred
with technical problems as the high-tech gadgets turned out to
also have some flaws.
When The Jakarta Post used a prepaid voucher to pay parking
fees at three different locations, Rp 3,000 was somehow lost in
the transactions.
Motorists pay a Rp 5,000 deposit, which is deducted from their
voucher after swiping it through a Personal Digital Assistant
(PDA) held by the attendant.
The balance of the deposit, depending on the length of time a
vehicle is parked, is returned, but only if the voucher is swiped
a second time prior to leaving. If a motorist parks their vehicle
for five hours or more, nothing remains of the deposit.
A receipt is printed as a record of the transaction, and
handed to the motorist.
The cards, which have a Bank Artha Graha logo printed on them,
can be bought at outlets set up in the five areas the system has
been implemented. The initial cost of the card is Rp 10,000 and
purchasers can specify how much they want to have programmed on
the card, and are able to refill it once the amount is spent.
Opponents of the system said that the scheme would not help
ease the capital's traffic woes and has little hope in succeeding
where other parking systems have failed.
Critics have also said the administration could do better by
imposing a policy that would significantly reduce the number of
cars on city streets instead of implementing a system that
encourages on-street parking, which worsens traffic problems in
Jakarta.