Private firm expands bus fleet

Private firm expands bus fleet

JAKARTA (JP): The government has allowed PT Steady Safe to operate another 200 air-conditioned buses under the name of Masstrans.

Jopie Widjaja, president of PT Steady Safe, said in a statement yesterday that with the operation of the new buses, the company now has 248 air-conditioned buses.

Jopie explained that routes for the new buses aren't yet known because the license, which was issued on Jan. 2, deals only with the expansion of the fleet.

"However, I'm sure that the government will soon issue the license for the routes, one of which will link Bekasi and Jakarta," he said.

Jopie said that the expansion of his company's bus fleet costs about Rp 36 billion (US$16.36 million) and is wholly financed by the firm's own funds incurred from profits.

The fleet expansion was made in response to the rising demand for public transportation services in Greater Jakarta, which covers Jakarta, Tangerang, Bekasi and Bogor, he said.

Prospects in the public transport business is still promising, especially during the peak hours when a lot of people commute, he said.

Besides operating Masstrans, Steady Safe, which is listed on the local stock exchange, also operates 1,650 taxis under the names of Steady Safe Taxi, Spirit Taxi, Transit Cab Taxi and Swadharma Taxi.

Jopie said that his company has also taken over two taxi companies -- PT Sembada Prakarsa Permai Sejati and PT Sonnypong Yatim, thereby raising the number of Steady Safe's taxis to 2,713. (hhr)