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)