Public, experts oppose bus fares hike plan
Public, experts oppose bus fares hike plan
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Jakarta administration's plan to increase bus fares later
this week met with strong opposition on Monday from commuters,
bus drivers, activists and experts.
Fahmi, a student at a private university in Ciputat, South
Jakarta, noted that the public had been burdened with the ongoing
economic crisis, and that they could not afford to take on any
additional burdens.
"If the bus fares are raised, then it will push other prices
up. We can no longer afford that," he said here on Monday.
The Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda)
proposed to Governor Sutiyoso last week to raise bus fares,
particularly for buses using diesel fuel, by up to 50 percent to
help bus owners offset the rising prices of fuel and spare parts
since last year.
The current bus fares were set in May 2002 when diesel fuel
still cost Rp 1,400 (15 US cents) a liter. Currently, the diesel
fuel costs Rp 1,650 per liter.
Experts have said that if the government had to approve of
Organda's plan to raise fares, it should ensure the rise is
proportionate to the increasing prices of fuel and spare parts.
A transportation expert at the University of Indonesia, Alan
Marino, deemed that an increase by over 20 percent of current bus
fares was an exaggeration, upon learning that the increase in
fuel price -- the major component of bus fares -- was less than
10 percent.
"If bus maintenance expenditure was the reason (for the
increase rate), I know from field checks that spare parts prices
have not significantly increased, especially the non-branded,
mass-produced products made in China, which are usually used in
buses," he told The Jakarta Post.
Andi, a driver of bus No. 616 plying the route from Blok M bus
terminal to Pasar Minggu, said the bus fare increase would not
give any benefits to drivers and commuters because it would only
justify bus operators to increase their rental fees.
Chairwoman of the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI),
Indah Suksmaningsih, demanded the administration consider the
people's purchasing power before approving the fare hike.
"YLKI's latest survey shows that middle-class Jakartans spend
25 percent of their monthly income on public transportation. The
ideal figure is around 10 percent to 12 percent," she told the
Post.
"Should the administration find the increase to be inevitable,
the administration needs to subsidize fares for commuters who are
from the low- to middle-income groups," she remarked.
Mursilah, 36, a resident of Bekasi, is one such example. She
has to change buses four times before reaching her place of work
in Melawai, South Jakarta, where she is employed as a cleaning
service staff. Working six days a week, she spends around Rp
240,000 every month on transportation, which is more than 80
percent of her total monthly salary.
"But what else I can do?" she asked, "I cannot find a job
closer to my house."