Plan to abolish bemo gets strong response

JAKARTA (JP): Representatives of owners of bemo (three-wheeled public vehicles) in East Jakarta strongly opposed yesterday the city administration's plan to phase out the vehicles.

"We are fully against the plan because the pollution rate of bemo isn't as high as one imagines. It is unfair to say that bemo pollute the city. Why don't the public ever complain about Metromini buses, which also contribute greatly to the city's air pollution?" asked Suparmin, one of three representatives.

The city administration announced recently that all small public transportation will be eliminated from the city, including bemo, bajaj and ojek (motorcycle taxis), on the grounds that they were no longer suitable to transport passengers.

"If the public complain about the loud noises from bemo's mufflers, don't worry. We can modify them to reduce the noise," Suparmin added.

He was against news reports, which said that bemo spare parts were getting difficult to find because the vehicles were imported in 1962.

"It's not true that bemo's spare parts are difficult to find in the city. If you want them, I can send you trucks full of them," Suparmin said.

Suparmin, who was accompanied by Kastomi and Ata Suparman, claimed to represent 60 bemo owners who operate along Jl. Kayumanis Utara and Jl. Kebon Sereh in East Jakarta.

They said that executives of the Land Transportation Vehicles Owners Organization briefed them on May 23 about the bemo replacement plan.

The executives said 906 of the 1,096 bemo officially registered in Jakarta will be scrapped in the first phase.

"Under the replacement program, the organization will compensate each bemo Rp 500,000 (US$ 227.27). But we refused because one bemo can sell for between Rp 6 and 7 million on the market," Suparmin said.

"For their replacement, the organization will provide new vehicles. Bemo owners intending to buy them have to pay a down payment of Rp 5 million and a monthly installment of Rp 600,000 to Rp 700,000," he said.

Suparmin said that he agreed in principle with the replacement plan as long as the bemo owners were able to buy the replacement vehicles at lower prices.

Governor Surjadi Soedirdja recently stated that sooner or later the three-wheeled vehicles would be replaced vehicles because they are not appropriate. The replacement program will start once the exact replacement vehicle is decided upon.

Tanah Abang is also known as a large bemo station. Other routes include Senen to Jl. Kebon Sirih, Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital to Pulogadung and Salemba Tengah to Rawasari.(31)