Police crack down on recalcitrant taxi drivers

Police crack down on recalcitrant taxi drivers

JAKARTA (JP): The City Land Transportation Control Agency
(DLLAJ) and the City police have launched an operation to
discipline recalcitrant taxi drivers.

Over the past three weeks more than 500 taxi drivers have been
caught violating regulations ranging from cheating passengers to
driving their cabs without proper documents and equipment.

The crackdown is part of the city administration's plan to
make Jakarta a service city.

Oriyanto Sapardal, head of the traffic and transportation
control subdivision, yesterday said the drivers had broken
various regulations.

They tampered with meters to raise the fare or did not switch
off the sign indicating the cab was occupied, Oriyanto said.

According to DLLAJ regulations, taxis whose drivers violate
such regulations will be impounded for a month.

The crackdown is being carried out in response to an
increasing number of complaints about disobedient taxi drivers.

Commenting on the operation, a councilor said the operation
should have been conducted long ago to improve the City's
transport services.

"A good transportation service is a prerequisite for Jakarta
to become a service city," said Lukman Mokoginta, head of the
Democratic Party faction of the City Council.

The administration plans to make Jakarta a service city by the
year 2001.

Lukman called on the authorities to be consistent in
disciplining taxi drivers and said there should be continuous
operations to ensure standards were maintained.

He said taxi companies should give their drivers a working
knowledge of English so they could serve the many foreigners who
come to a metropolitan city like Jakarta.

"Otherwise how can the drivers provide a good service to
foreign tourists?" (04)