Punish disobedient bus companies: Minister

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto has urged the Land Transportation Control Agency (DLLAJ) to take stern measures against bus operators failing to run 30 percent of their fleets as regular buses.

"The agency has to be consistent with its commitment to serve the public. So any disobedient companies have to be punished," Haryanto told the agency's deputy Irzal Z. Djamal during an inspection at the Blok M bus terminal in South Jakarta yesterday.

Based on a ministerial decree, private bus operators are required to operate 40 percent of their fleets as air-conditioned express buses, 30 percent as non-air-conditioned express buses and 30 percent as regular buses. However, several companies are reluctant to operate regular buses for financial motives.

The government has set current fares on air-conditioned express buses at Rp 1,800 (76.6 U.S. cents), non-air-conditioned express buses at Rp 700 (29.8 cents) and regular buses at Rp 300 (12.7 cents).

"I hope bus operators understand that to operate 40 percent of their total fleets as air-conditioned express buses will significantly subsidize their incomes from regular bus operations," Haryanto said.

The city has been without regular bus services for some time, because all bus operators prefer operating air-conditioned express buses to regular buses.

In addition to the state-owned bus company Perum PPD and city- owned company Perum Damri, there are currently eight parties licensed to operate public buses in the capital, including PT Ikawali, PT Bianglala, PT Steady Safe, PT Giri Indah Andalan, Cooperative Himpurna, PT Arion, PT Mayasari Bhakti and PT Mass Trans.

Some 234,300 buses currently operate in Jakarta.

DLLAJ has once temporarily revoked the operation permit of Steady Safe for not complying with the regulation on bus quotas. The company then operated air-conditioned buses as regular buses.

Haryanto stressed yesterday that DLLAJ may take action by the end of this month, because some of the licensed companies are still unwilling to operate regular buses.

Irzal said yesterday that Jakarta would still be able to accommodate 1,000 or 2,000 additional buses. "About 47 percent of the city's total population use public buses, while the ideal rate is 53 percent."

He said that the Blok M bus station currently served more regular buses.

There are 1,210 buses serving 65 routes. Of the total number of buses, 885 are regular buses (73.14 percent), 240 non-air- conditioned express buses (19.8 percent) and 85 air-conditioned express buses (7 percent).

In a related development, Haryanto said that PPD planned to operate buses with no seating facilities. "The buses will be able to accommodate 15 percent or 20 percent more passengers."

During yesterday's evaluation, the minister inspected the cleanliness of a number of buses.

He told passengers to maintain cleanliness and required drivers and crews to dress neatly in their uniforms. (icn)