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)