Public bus fares raised arbitrarily, drivers threaten to strike
Public bus fares raised arbitrarily, drivers threaten to strike
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Several bus drivers started to increase their fares arbitrarily
on Monday following the fuel price hike, while others threatened
to go on strike as the government and bus operators were still
busy discussing how to handle the situation.
Mayasari Bhakti buses plying the Kampung Rambutan-Kalideres
route, and Himpurna buses plying the Senen-Cimone route, for
instance, charged passengers Rp 1,500 (about US 16 cents) on
Monday, up from the official fare of Rp 1,200.
Meanwhile, KWK public minivans plying the Pasar Minggu-
Cijantung route also raised their fares to Rp 1,300 from Rp
1,000, according to data from the City Social Disturbance Control
Office (Pusdalgangsos).
No official statement has been made by either City
Administration or City Council officials in regards public
transportation fares in the city following the latest increase in
fuel prices.
According to procedures, the fare increase should be approved
by the governor after it has been discussed with City Council,
the association of public transportation companies (Organda) and
the Indonesian Consumers Foundation.
Public transportation drivers interviewed by The Jakarta Post
on Monday said some drivers might increase their fares because of
their falling income as a result of the fuel price increase.
Several Metromini bus drivers at the Blok M bus terminal,
South Jakarta, and at the Kampung Rambutan bus terminal in East
Jakarta, for instance, explained that their daily incomes had
decreased sharply due to the hike in the price of automotive
diesel fuel.
"As the diesel price increased, our daily incomes decreased by
about Rp 30,000. We now receive a net daily income of Rp 35,000,"
said Heri, the driver of a Kampung Rambutan-Blok M regular bus.
He claimed that he used to spend Rp 80,000 for about 50 liters
of diesel a day, but now he spent Rp 110,000 for the same amount
of fuel.
The central government announced last week the increase of the
diesel fuel price, from Rp 1,550 to Rp 1,890 per liter, while the
price of premium gasoline was increased from Rp 1,750 to Rp 1,810
per liter.
Almost all of the city's 9,000 public buses use diesel fuel.
On top of fuel costs, bus drivers are normally required to pay
a daily bus rental fee of around Rp 250,000 to the bus owners,
and the rest of their daily revenue would be shared with their
assistants.
Heri and his fellow drivers in the Rambutan and the Blok M
terminals complained that their lives were only getting harder
and becoming hopeless due to the increase in the costs of fuel
and other goods, such as staple foods, while their incomes failed
to reflect the price hikes.
They called on the city administration to raise public
transportation fares; otherwise, they would joint other drivers
and go on strike Thursday, as planned.
"If by Jan. 9, the fare is not raised, bus drivers will all go
on strike," said Agus, the driver of a Kota-Kampung Rambutan
route bus.
However, the drivers' demand for an increase in bus fares
would not be met any time soon, as the Land Transportation Owners
Association (Organda) decided on Monday not to propose an
increase in economy bus fares.
Instead of proposing a hike in bus fares, Organda asked the
government to provide funds to bus owners to replace their aging
vehicles.
"We understand that the purchasing power of commuters remains
low. Nevertheless, we want the government to help us by providing
funds for bus owners to restore the aging vehicles, so we can
serve the public better," Organda chairman Dadan Irawan Sarpingi
told reporters after a meeting with government officials at the
Ministry of Transportation.
According to Organda, the higher fuel prices would cut deeply
into their members' profit margins by about five percent for
diesel vehicles and increase operational expenses by 10 percent.
This revenue loss could be covered by a fare hike to Rp 1,430 per
passenger.
However, the city administration decided on Monday not to give
the fuel-subsidy-reduction compensation fund this year to bus
owners. The administration received Rp 2.9 billion in
compensation funds from the central government last year.
"The subsidy is for poor people. We distributed the subsidy
through several cooperatives here," Deputy Governor Fauzi Bowo
told reporters after a meeting of the city officials at City
Hall.
The meeting, which was led by Governor Sutiyoso, was attended
by City Police Chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara, Jakarta
Military Commander Maj. Gen. Ahmad Yahya and City Council Deputy
Chairman M. Suwardi, and discussed the current situation in
regards the increase in fuel prices.