Pamulang residents hit by drivers strike

Pamulang residents hit by drivers strike

TANGERANG (JP): Hundreds of passengers were stranded for the
second day yesterday as 180 drivers of vehicles plying the
Pamulang to Lebak Bulus route went on strike.

Drivers and owners of the eight-seat minivans number D15 said
they were protesting the recent operation of a rival fleet run by
a cooperative called Koperasi Wahana Kalpika (KWK).

On Monday afternoon KWK minivan number S09 was plying the
Pamulang to Kebayoran Lama route. The disputed part of the route
is the 12-kilometer stretch from Pamulang in Tangerang, passing
through Pondok Cabe to Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta.

A fight occurred after drivers stopped a KWK vehicle,
reminding him that D15 owners had told KWK to stop operating
their 10 vehicles before a clear-cut agreement was reached. KWK
began their new route last month.

"No agreement has been reached so far," said Ramli Hasibuan, a
spokesman for the D15 drivers and owners.

Witnesses said two KWK vehicles were damaged in the fight, in
which drivers from both sides were slightly injured.

After the fight the remaining KWK vehicles operated with the
protection of a police car, a witness said.

Yesterday the drivers and owners gathered at a corner of the
Pondok Cabe airfield, and parked their vehicles there.

"We will not operate until a fair settlement is reached," said
Ramli.

Proposal

Guarded by a number of security personnel, drivers and owners
discussed their plans to go to the South Jakarta office of the
Land Transport Agency, which issued KWK its permits.

"We will propose to the authorities that if KWK vehicles must
continue to operate, it should only be allowed to ply the same
route like us," Ramli told The Jakarta Post.

Meanwhile passengers-to-be waited for up to one hour from
early morning as both D15 and KWK vehicles were not operating.

Some passengers were forced to take motorcycle taxis which
charged Rp 5,000 to Lebak Bulus, as all public transportation
vehicles were full.

"I'm still waiting for a public vehicle, I can't afford to pay
for a motorcycle taxi," said Rosidah, a junior school teacher.

By 8 a.m. some passengers had managed to get free rides in
private vehicles.

Ramli said the KWK permits are questionable.

"KWK claims to have had permits since 1989 but they only began
operating this year," he said.

He said D15 owners have heard KWK plans to operate up to 40
vehicles along the route, which would be a threat to D15's 180
vehicles.

"Even now we can only get an average of Rp 15,000 (US$6.45)
per day while we have to pay owners Rp 30,000 to enable them to
pay the installments for the vehicles," he added.

There are 360 drivers of the D15 vehicles. However Ramli, an
owner of six vehicles, said he had yet to list the number of
owners, who are unorganized.

He said D15 has secured permits for up to 200 vehicles.

La Ode Djeni Hasmar, the owner of the KWK cooperative, said
the permits from 1989 are still in effect although the
cooperative has only recently managed to go into operation.

"I think (the fight) stemmed from a lack of coordination
between the West Java and South Jakarta offices of the Land
Transport Agency," said Djeni, who said he just heard of the
trouble. (anr)