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 Passes for the previous month are no longer valid after the fourth day of the following month.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)