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)