Park your car, and win a new one

Park your car, and win a new one

JAKARTA (JP): If the administration's new plan is approved,
very soon parking lot receipts could carry lucrative prizes. The
plan, now under review, is the city's latest attempt to encourage
motorists to insist on obtaining tickets from parking attendants.

Sumaryono, the head of the city parking management agency BP
Parkir, said the idea had come from a private contractor that is
also being considered for the running of his agency's operation.

The chief problem in parking management is that parking
attendants are reluctant to give receipts in return for the Rp
300 an hour paid by visitors to park their vehicles, Sumaryono
said.

In the absence of receipts, BP Parkir cannot accurately
calculate and control their revenues, a problem that has exposed
the agency to wide criticism, including allegations of
misappropriation, he said.

The prizes being considered are household appliances,
electronics and perhaps even automobiles.

Jakarta Vice Governor TB Rais on a separate occasion confirmed
the plan but said that it had not been formally approved. If
given the green light, the new plan could be launched within the
year.

BP Parkir, which collects the parking fees, consistently falls
short of revenue targets set by the municipal office.

Sumaryono said he believed that approval of the plan, to be
launched in cooperation with a private contractor, could triple
the city's income coming from parking fees. (emb)