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)