Price for minivan door apparatus set
Price for minivan door apparatus set
JAKARTA (JP): The City Land Transportation and Traffic Control
Agency (DLLAJ), bowing to pressure from transportation companies,
has agreed to reduce prices of a special door apparatus for 12-
seat minivans by more than 50 percent.
"We decided to cut the price of the apparatus from Rp 75,000
per vehicle to Rp 35,000 after a meeting with representatives of
vehicles owners and executives of Organda (Land Transportation
Owners' Association)," said Djuhdi, a divisional head of DLLAJ.
But Djuhdi told reporters yesterday that vehicle owners have
to buy the equipment at workshops appointed by Organda.
"The 35,000 includes the installation fee," Djuhdi said.
The closed door policy as stipulated by the 1992 Traffic Law
obliges the crew of all public transport vehicles throughout the
capital city to close their doors while their vehicles in motion.
All public transport companies have conformed, except owners
and drivers of minibuses, such as KWK, Mikrolet, and Angkutan
Perkotaan, whose crew went on strike two months ago in protest of
the implementation of the regulation.
Police have given owners of public transit vehicles, including
the 12-seat minivans, until early next year to fully comply with
the closed door policy.
In line with the new policy Organda has asked minivan owners
to buy a special gadget which takes an hour to install and is
priced at Rp 75,000 each. Such gadgets are available from FX
Jacobus Jut, the owner of "Ave Maria" workshop in Bekasi.
This has sparked complains from minivans owners because the
price is expensive.
The chairman of the Jakarta chapter of Organda, Aip
Syaifuddin, said that most of the owners have been complaining
about the price, the workshop's location and the time they have
to spend to install it.
"We plan to appoint more workshops as dealers to install the
apparatus to solve those problems," Aip said, adding that the
organization has chosen more than 10 authorized workshops in the
city.
Defend
Aip defended Organda's decision to implement a regulation
which requires minivan owners to install door operating apparatus
at certain workshops.
"Our intention is to help owners install high quality door
operating appliances in their minivans," Aip said.
"We provide high quality appliances which could help them
avoid big losses in the end," Aip said.
He explained that the price includes a one year guarantee and
that it is better to buy a more expensive but durable door
appliance rather than buying a cheap one of low quality.
He also mentioned the safety standards as drafted by the
Vehicle Document Service. "The appliance recognized by Organda
passes the standards, while the homemade one does not," Aip said.
Owners on the other hand doubt this, saying that there is no
safety standardization in making the apparatus because there is
no standard in making it.
"The design was made based on the one implemented in Bandung,
how come they have fulfilled the safety requirements?" queried
Talib, head of Kojang Jaya, a minivan cooperative.
He explained that many workshops have changed the original
design to be simpler and easier to use and cheaper than the
original.
"The price ranges from Rp 45,000 to Rp 75,000," Talib
said.(yns)