'No way for Sinar Jaya bus company'
Nana Rukmana and Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Tegal
The Land Transportation Organization (Organda) said it and the Directorate General for Land Transportation were inching closer towards revoking the operation permit for bus company PO Sinar Jaya following 21 deaths in three days.
Organda chairman Dadan Irawan Sarpingi said Organda, police and the directorate general responsible for the permit believed it should be revoked because of the company's poor performance.
"We and the government have no other alternative than to revoke the operation permit ... The main reason is that the company's management has failed to discipline its reckless drivers. It has been warned many times. Each time we gave warnings for crashes, the management apologized and vowed to discipline but no action was taken, causing numerous fatalities that have claimed very many lives over the last two years."
At least 19 were killed and ten others injured when a Sinar Jaya bus traveling to Wonosobo from Jakarta exploded in flames after hitting drums of kerosene and four houses in Slawi on Friday.
The incident occurred after the bus driver asked an unlicensed crew member to drive.
The three members of the bus crew, Fachrur Rozi, Mukrir and Syachroni, have been named suspects in the incident.
One more was killed and another one was wounded when PO Langgeng Jaya operated by the bus company smashed into the rear of a sedan at the Cikampek tollroad early on Sunday.
Organda data shows the company was responsible for eight accidents which have claimed more than 50 lives in the past two years.
Dadan added the directorate general was expected to announce the heaviest sanction against the bus company this week.
Tegal Police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr Moch. Iriawan said on Sunday that he had proposed the government revoke the bus company's operations permit.
According to Dadan, Organda was reviewing the operation permit of two other bus companies PO Luragung and PO Sahabat plying the Cirebon-Jakarta and Cirebon-Merak routes
Angry groups were stoning passing Sinar Jaya buses in Central Java on Sunday.