Plan to abolish bus terminals opposed

JAKARTA (JP): Fearing the loss of bus terminals would cut their income, public bus crews opposed on Saturday the city administration's plan to abolish city bus terminals and replace them with shelters.

Interviewed separately on Saturday, bus drivers and their assistants said it would be difficult for them to get passengers under the shelter system because the buses would be unable to stop and wait for passengers.

Budi, a driver's assistant on a Metro Mini plying the Senen- Setiabudhi route in Central Jakarta, said phasing out bus terminals would create new problems of competition among drivers.

"Under the terminal system, we are allowed to queue and wait for our passengers.

"If the vehicles are only allowed to pass by, drivers will compete each other and therefore create worse traffic jams," he said.

Budi added that bus crews also needed time to rest during the workday.

"I think we will not have time to relax if buses are forbidden from stopping (at bus terminals)," he said.

Darminto, who drives an air-conditioned Bianglala Patas bus, said the city administration's plan to implement the shelter system would not work for all bus routes.

"Most buses at the Blok M terminal (in South Jakarta) serve long routes, while other terminals serve routes of different lengths. So the shelter system cannot be implemented at terminals where most buses serve short routes, like at Senen terminal (in Central Jakarta).

"At such a terminal, the buses need to stop and wait," he said.

The Blok M terminal is seen as an example of the new terminal system. Vehicles at the terminal are not allowed to stop, but simply pass through the proper lanes to let passengers on and off.

As a result, however, the buses stop in other areas and cause traffic congestion, as seen on Jl. Trunojoyo and Jl. Panglima Polim, both in South Jakarta.

Also criticizing the proposal was John Saragih, an employee of Satu Nusa intercity bus company, at Rawamangun bus terminal in East Jakarta.

Saragih said it was impossible to change the Rawamangun terminal into a mere transit point.

"The terminal is also used as an intercity bus terminal. It is impossible to prohibit intercity buses from staying (at the terminal). How could passengers wait for the bus then?

"I think we will stage a protest if the administration chooses to implement the policy," he said.

The head of the City Traffic and Land Transportation Agency, Buyung Atang, said on Thursday the administration was studying the possibility of abolishing city bus terminals and turning them into shelters to improve service.

"It's the ideal situation, where buses will only pass through without having to stay at terminals waiting for passengers. We're still studying the idea," Buyung told journalists during a break in a coordination meeting at City Hall.

"We'll have only three terminals then for intercity buses. City buses will pass through these terminals, of course. We will also provide checkpoints along the routes. Currently, we have 24 large and small terminals," Buyung added.

The intercity bus terminals are Kampung Rambutan in East Jakarta for buses plying routes to cities in West Java; Kalideres terminal in West Jakarta for buses traveling to Sumatra; and Pulogadung terminal in East Jakarta for buses heading to cities in Central and East Java.

Buyung admitted the plan would cause the city to lose revenue from the terminals.

"Not only from levies, but also from revenue from businesses located in the terminals. There are usually public toilets, telephones and food kiosks, especially in larger terminals," he said, predicting a loss of some Rp 3.2 billion (US$426,666) a year.

"However, we can compensate for some of this loss by charging passengers entrance fees at the intercity bus terminals. We can draw some Rp 1 billion per year from the three terminals," he said.

The entrance fee at intercity bus terminals was Rp 100 before it was abolished by Law No. 18/1997 on regional taxes and levies, which did away with a large number of taxes and levies. The new law on regional autonomy, however, restored the taxes and levies.

City Bylaw No. 3/1999 on city taxes and levies set the entrance fee at Rp 200.

"I'm waiting for a gubernatorial decree before enacting the entrance fee," Buyung said. (ind/nvn)