Only Jakarta taxis may operate in the city

JAKARTA (JP): Head of the City Land Transportation Control Agency J.P. Sepang reiterated yesterday that taxis from the capital's buffer zones of Depok, Bekasi and Tangerang are not allowed to operate in the city.

He said that the prohibition was signed last year by representatives of his agency and officials from the West Java provincial government.

"Based on the agreement, taxis from Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi, are allowed to drop passengers they transport into the city, but are prohibited from picking up passengers in the city," he said.

Sepang was responding to a trend for out-of-town taxi drivers to pick up passengers wherever they want in the city.

Drivers of Jakarta-based taxis do the same, they drop and pick up passengers in the outskirts, he said.

According to the agency's data, 18,207 taxis, owned by 27 Jakartan companies, operate in the capital. About 95 percent of the estimated 4,000 taxis from other cities invade Jakarta everyday.

Sepang promised to intensify an operation against drivers who defy the agreement.

Chairman of the city's Transportation Business Development Agency H.M. Djuhdi said on Monday that the decision to intensify the operation was taken following complaints from owners of Jakartan taxi companies.

"They complained that many taxis from outside Jakarta are operating in Jakarta, which violates the agreement," he said.

The intensified operation was launched two weeks ago and has frightened many taxi drivers. Some drivers misunderstood the policy and refuse to take passengers to outlying areas like Ciputat and Tangerang.

One taxi driver told The Jakarta Post that he was afraid of being fined by the police if he took passengers to the city.

He continued to refuse even when he was told the regulation allowed him to take passengers into the city as long as he did not pick any passengers up. (01/yns)