Perumka complains about bills

Perumka complains about bills

JAKARTA (JP): The state-owned railway company Perumka is
complaining about the huge monthly electricity bills it pays for
the electrical commuter trains in the Jabotabek area.

The head of Operational Division I, Eddy Sasongko, told
reporters on Monday that it pays Rp 750 million (US$326,086) a
month for the Jabotabek trains.

The Operational Division I covers Jakarta and its surrounding
areas, Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi in West Java.

Division I has 24 electricity-operated commuter trains of
economy class, and four non-economy class. Each set has four
coaches.

"For Perumka, the electricity rates of the state-owned
electricity company PLN are too high. PLN should have defined the
trains as a public service, not as industry," he said.

The electricity company has different rates. The lowest rate
is for public services, such as places of worship and streets,
while the highest is for businesses. The rate for industrial
activities is slightly lower than that for businesses.

"If the commuter trains were considered public services by
PLN, our electricity bills would be much lower and we would still
have the money to improve our services to the public," Perumka's
head of information, Djoko Martono, said.

Trains are a public service and Perumka does not consider
profit its first priority, he claimed.

"Moreover, the economy class train fare set by the government
only covers 70% of the operation cost. So PLN's understanding
would be much appreciated here," Eddy said.

Jabotabek commuter trains play an increasing role in easing
city traffic. Many commuters in Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi
prefer to take the train to work every morning. (sur)