Passengers demand better service before fare hike

Passengers demand better service before fare hike

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Wawan must spend more money on transportation because the bus
between his home and workplace takes a detour from its stated
route, so he must alight and get a minivan to reach his
destination.

"Everyday I go by Kopaja B93 bus plying the route from
Cengkareng in West Jakarta to Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta, but
the driver makes a detour into Roxy, West Jakarta, meaning that I
have to take another minivan to reach my workplace in Tanah
Abang," he told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

An apparel trader at the market, Wawan has to spend Rp 2,000
(US$0.22) to get there, when in fact he should only have to spend
Rp 1,000 if the bus complied with its mandatory route.

Bus drivers abandoning their passengers is but one example of
how bus operators in Jakarta have not served the public interest.

Apparently turning a blind eye to the services that they have
yet to improve, bus operators with the public transportation
operators association (Organda) recently demanded a 50 percent
increase in bus fares, and threatened to suspend their operations
if the demand was not met.

"It has happened in the last five years, and still persists
until now," Wawan said, referring to the tactics used by bus
drivers to drop off passengers before completing their route.

He said that the first time he experienced it, he had to argue
with the bus crew who would finally help find another bus for
free.

"But over time, they simply didn't care anymore and we
(passengers) just grew tired of arguing with them all the time.
We resigned to finding other public transportation to reach our
destinations," Wawan said in dismay.

He was quick to add that the same thing happens when he heads
home from work at night.

"I take Kopaja B95 bus plying the route from Tanah Abang to
Kalideres in West Jakarta, but the driver just stops the trip in
Cengkareng instead.

This means that those who live in Kalideres, must take another
bus before they can arrive at home at a decent hour," he said,
adding that passengers had to take three different vehicles from
Tanah Abang to Kalideres bus terminal.

Given the high cost resulting from the bus drivers'
unwillingness to complete their routes, Wawan said that his
neighbors in Cengkareng -- a couple who also own a stall in Tanah
Abang market -- had decided to move to Kota Bambu in Central
Jakarta which is adjacent to the Tanah Abang market.

There is not much passengers can do about such problems with
the mandatory routes, said an elderly man on board of a bus
plying the route from Tanah Abang to Senen in Central Jakarta.

"If there are only two passengers left on the bus, and it is
still halfway to the bus terminal, the driver will just drop them
off. If the passengers are lucky enough, the conductor will find
another bus for them," said the man, who wished to remain
anonymous.

He also pointed out that traffic jams had also prompted bus
drivers to abandon the routes which they are supposed to take.

"Some buses plying the route from Grogol in West Jakarta to
Kampung Rambutan in South Jakarta has to make a turn in Cawang,
East Jakarta, because of the heavy traffic congestion on the way
to the bus terminal," he told the Post.

Both, however, agreed that the route violation showed a
negligence on the part of bus operators to the rights of
passengers in getting a decent service.

"Organda has done nothing to improve the service for
passengers, therefore their demands for a fare increase is
unjustifiable," Wawan said.