Organda may scrap bus rental system
Organda may scrap bus rental system
JAKARTA (JP): The Land Transport Owners Association, Organda, has vowed to improve its services to the public by applying a new system to pay its bus drivers.
Head of the Organda Jakarta branch, Aip Sjarifuddin, said yesterday that the rental system currently applied has proven to be the cause of drivers' recklessness, which has provoked public outrage.
An appropriate method to pay its drivers would be the target system, he said.
In the present system, bus owners charge drivers a daily rental of between Rp 75,000 (US$33) and Rp 80,000. The drivers must pay their conductors from their earnings and buy their own gas and meals, on top of providing for their families. "This causes drivers to compete with each other on the roads, ignoring public safety and traffic regulations," Aip said.
"Buses commonly carry as many passengers as they can, or they drop off passengers before the final destination," he said.
Through the target system, drivers would get a monthly salary and earn extra if they meet the target, and incentive money if they exceed the target.
The system is commonly applied in taxi companies.
Small-capacity buses in the city are notorious for their poor services and their disregard of traffic regulations.
Last year an overloaded Metro Mini bus plunged into a river in North Jakarta, killing 29 passengers.
Another factor which causes drivers' recklessness is the low bus fares; Rp 300 for the public and Rp 100 for students.
Aip said that the drivers' recklessness and disrespect on the road is understandable when their small earnings, due to the low fares, are taken into account. Bus drivers race with each other to pick up passengers.
The organization has proposed that fares for small buses be increased to Rp 750 per person.
Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto rejected the proposal.
However, the head of Jakarta's office of the Ministry of Transportation, Abdul Karim Tjokroprawiro, said yesterday that transport fares may be increased next year.
He said the House of Representatives will discuss the matter with the ministry next month. (yns)