PT Kereta Api admits disservice to public
PT Kereta Api admits disservice to public
JAKARTA (JP): State PT Kereta Api Indonesia, the sole train
operator in the country, conceded on Wednesday that it failed in
its service to the public by being late to supply commuters with
monthly rail passes.
Masjraul Hidayat, head of the firm's Jakarta office, explained
that the delay was mainly due to the time needed for printing due
to the new design of the passes.
The passes should normally be available between the first and
fifth day of every month. Passes for the previous month are no
longer valid after the fourth day of the following month.
Masjraul did not apology on behalf of the company for the
unfavorable situation faced by thousands of Jakartans on
Wednesday, but insisted that the passes would be available at all
of the city's railway stations from Thursday.
"Hopefully, commuters will be obtaining the passes by
Thursday," he said.
"About 60 percent of the new passes actually reached train
stations throughout Jakarta today," Masjraul told The Jakarta
Post.
According to Masjraul, the substantial change in the monthly
passes was necessary in an effort to avoid the firm from
suffering serious financial losses as there had been substantial
indication of the use of counterfeit monthly passes by commuters.
Two weeks ago, he said, railway staff arrested a passenger
for using a fake pass at Mangga Besar Railway Station in Central
Jakarta.
"The company is anticipating efforts by any party who might
possibly try to produce and distribute fake rail passes to the
public," Masjraul said.
The new version, he said, has a gold foil security seal to
make it difficult to counterfeit.
He explained that the passes were printed at a printing
company owned by the railway company in the West Java capital of
Bandung.
The price of the rail passes vary, depending upon the
distance. In Jakarta, many buyers of passes are residents living
far from their workplace.
"We have some 127,000 people buying passes each month,"
Masjraul said.
The price of monthly passes is much cheaper than one month's
worth of daily tickets.
A monthly pass -- which can be used only for one return trip a
day -- between Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta and Serpong in
Tangerang sells for Rp 12,500 for economy class. A regular one-
way economy ticket costs Rp 4,000.
"There is no change in price for the new pass," Masjraul
explained.
The lack of announcement by PT Kereta Api Indonesia concerning
the modification of its passes and their unavailability upset
thousands of Jakartans, who fronted up on Wednesday to buy their
passes.
"Fortunately, my November pass is valid until Saturday. The
company should be more professional in serving its customers,"
said Aji Kamusi, 37, a resident in Ciputat district.
Aji rides economy class every day from Sudimara Railway
Station in Tangerang to Tanah Abang Station in Central Jakarta.
From there, he then catches a public bus to his office on Jl.
Sudirman.
According to the deputy head of Tanah Abang Railway Station,
Sumbudi, his office posted an announcement at the station
explaining the matter.
"There were indeed dozens of people who first intended to buy
the passes at the counter, but they left after reading the
announcement," said Sumbudi.
The passes, which his office usually receives on the 25th of
every month, have yet to reach his office.
"We have yet to receive information on the delay of the
arrival of the passes," he said.
Approximately 750 people buy passes every month at the
station, as shown in data at the station. (asa)