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)