'No pickpockets in new trains'
The police are continuing to investigate the cause of Thursday's train crash, which has now claimed four lives and injured some 600 passengers. Investigators say they are still unsure whether the accident was caused by mechanical problems, faulty railway systems, human error or a combination of the three. The Jakarta Post asked two residents what they thought needed to be improved on the city's rail links.
Gita Hastarika, 25, is a research assistant who lives in Duri Kepa, West Jakarta. She occasionally took the economy class commuter train while she was still in college:
I think when the trains are overloaded, especially during the peak hours, it gives pickpockets a lot of opportunity to operate.
The ground staff also seem to have no idea how to control the numbers of passengers without tickets who get on.
I noticed that passengers without tickets in their hands could easily get off the train and none of the PT KAI staff ever detected them.
Despite the notorious safety issues in economy class, avoiding being robbed is sometimes a matter of attitude. Acting like you are familiar with the surroundings makes you less a potential victim for pickpockets, while being overtly cautious could attract them.
Yully Nugroho, 37, is employed in the retail industry. She takes a commuter train to work from Sudimara Station in her neighborhood in Ciputat, South Jakarta, to Sudirman Station in Central Jakarta:
I think the cabins on the (first class?) electric train are comfortable; they are air-conditioned, unlike a few years back in the old diesel trains.
Besides, most of passengers are office employees. Lately, you only see people selling newspapers and magazines on board and not all kinds of street vendors.
However, I would like for the train's schedule to be more punctual. One day, I had to wait for about 40 minutes.
The delays get even worse when it's raining. This is usually caused by falling trees (on the line) or when a cabin derails.
My other concern is staff at the ticket windows. From my experience, when I pay a Rp 7,500 ticket with a larger bill, I do not receive the whole change like I should. I generally don't notice this until later because I am frequently in a hurry to catch the train.
-- The Jakarta Post