Operation of night transportation okayed

Operation of night transportation okayed

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Surjadi Soedirdja has given the green
light to a municipal agency's plan to operate public
transportation vehicles at night to support the city's service
and trade sectors.

The head of the City Traffic and Land Transportation Control
Agency (DLLAJ), J.P. Sepang, announced Tuesday that the governor
agreed with the agency's plan to operate night-time transit
services. The plan is meant to provide public transportation for
night-shift employees.

Sepang said the operation of public transit vehicles at night
was also designed to control the scope of operation of the
unauthorized 12-seat minivans which now dominate night transport.

The city council recently urged the municipal administration
to provide night public transport to help people who travel home
late because they work overtime and to help facilitate the flow
of goods at night.

Now, public transportation at night is dominated by privately
owned vans or trucks, whose black license plates automatically
prohibit them from operation as public transit vehicles.

Sepang said the plan still has to be discussed with the
Jakarta Chapter of Land Transport Organizations (Organda) before
it is implemented.

He admitted that until now only the Wahana Kalpika Cooperative
(KWK), a grouping of small businessmen managing the 12-seat
minivan transportation in suburban areas, has applied to support
the night transport system.

Sepang would not reveal the number, nor the type of vehicles
to be used for the night transit services, saying that DLLAJ is
working out the details.

Sepang said the night public transportation vehicles will bear
special markings and have a different color from that of the
transit vehicles used during the day.

Sepang also said that his office will cooperate with the West
Java administration to handle night public transportation
vehicles serving the Jakarta-suburban area routes. (yns)