NGO monitors polluting cars

JAKARTA: Non-governmental organization SwissContact has invited the public to monitor public vehicles in the capital by providing hotline text message number 08176600001.

People seeing buses, bajaj (three-wheeled motorized vehicle) and taxis that are blowing excessive exhaust smoke can be reported by sending an SMS to the hotline in the format "asap (space) type of vehicle (space) vehicle police number".

"The program is to help supervise the performance of public transportation," said campaign consultant Veronica Ponda in a release.

She said that the data received would be handed to the City Transportation Agency and the Jakarta Transportation Council who have the power to take further action.

In a recent emission test, the NGO found that 57.5 percent of 1,020 public vehicles tested failed to pass required emission standards.

Clean air activists are out in force to implement mandatory emission testing as stipulated in the newly endorsed bylaw on air pollution which will take full effect in February next year. -- JP