'No pickpockets in new trains'

'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