Plan replacement of medium-size buses hailed

Plan replacement of medium-size buses hailed

JAKARTA (JP): The Organization of City Land Transportation
Owners has welcomed the municipality's plan to replace medium-
size buses -- Metromini, Kopaja and Mikrolet -- with larger
vehicles.

But the organization's chairman, Aip Syarifuddin, said
yesterday that the plan should be publicly announced and
conducted in stages.

"By socializing the plan first, the city administration can,
for instance, prevent protests from drivers of the medium-size
buses."

The existing buses will be replaced by large-size buses with
regular tariff of Rp 300 (US 10 cents) per passenger per trip,
according to the plan.

Tariffs for Metromini and Kopaja minibuses are Rp 400 per
person per trip while the price of traveling on a Mikrolet ranges
from Rp 300 to Rp 600 per passenger depending on the distance.

The head of the City Land Transportation Agency, J.P. Sepang,
said Tuesday the plan to rid the main roads of the Metromini,
Kopaja and Mikrolet was aimed at reducing traffic congestion and
providing an affordable but better transportation service.

"Several bus companies, such as Bianglala, Hiba Utama and
Steady Safe, will launch new bus services for the routes,"

He said the medium-size buses will serve other routes which do
not pass through the city's main roads, such as Jl. MH Thamrin,
Jl. Sudirman and Jl. HR Rasuna Said.

Aip said the administration should have first consulted owners
of the medium-size buses about the new routes for their vehicles.

"Without consulting with the owners, I believe they will want
to stage a protest too."

He said the owners would refuse the plan if the administration
gave them "dry" routes.

"Buses, which operating on the main roads, usually have lots
of passengers and bus owners will certainly reject the proposed
routes, if the new routes mean a lack of passengers."

The city's plan to remove medium-size buses from the main
roads has already sparked protests from Metromini drivers who
claim it caused an overlapping of route services.

But Sepang said that the protests were due to the poor
explanations given by his subordinates to the bus owners and
drivers.

"When we explained it clearly later, the bus owners and
protesters understood it."

According to data from Sepang's office, the city now operates
3,691 buses, including 1,900 non air-conditioned Patas buses, 672
air-conditioned Patas buses and 1,119 regular buses. The buses
ply 217 routes throughout the city. (ste)