Quarreling marks first day of new fares in city
Quarreling marks first day of new fares in city
JAKARTA (JP): Arguments and negotiation among passengers and
drivers colored the first day of the new fares announced on
Wednesday.
In Jakarta, passengers attempting to pay the outdated fares
quarreled with bus crews who told them of the repeated
announcements on television.
"Well I don't know about it and I don't watch television,"
snapped one bus passenger on a Metro Mini plying the Blok M -
Senen market route, for which fares have been raised from Rp 300
to Rp 400.
Passengers on larger buses were more willing to comply with
the increase from Rp 250 to Rp 300.
Bus crews refrained from questioning the people claiming they
were students, who paid Rp 200. The government announced that the
cheaper student fares would remain at Rp 100 to Rp 200.
Taxi drivers negotiated fares with passengers, as most
companies have yet to change the flag fall on the meters. The
flag fall has been raised from Rp 900 to Rp 1,500, and the fare
from Rp 450 to Rp 550 per kilometer.
"I have to wait hours in line to get the meter changed,"
Djulfian, a President Taxi driver said. "So for now it's up to
you to decide how much you want to pay me."
Bluebird, Kosti and Express taxi drivers were among those who
charged the previous fare, saying their employers have yet to
enforce the new ruling.
Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto said the
flag fall has been increased 66.7 percent to overcome drivers'
reluctance to take passengers short distances.
Some taxi drivers hoped that passengers would pay them more
than the new fares to compensate for the fact their employers
have already raised daily rents. Others weren't that concerned
about tips because they don't expect the taxi companies they work
for to raise rents until after a transition period of at least
four months.
One taxi company has published a list of the old and new fares
for its drivers. Enterprising vendors are selling copies of the
list for Rp 500 to Rp 1,000 to taxi drivers from other firms.
At the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport illegal taxis
charged Rp 40,000 to reach Kebayoran Baru in South Jakarta. The
drivers insisted their fare was based on the previous standard
fares.
They said the drivers of the legal taxis were in the habit of
refusing to use the meter and charging Rp 41,000 for the trip.
This is a frequent practice at the airport because the legal
drivers say they have to wait up to four hours to get passengers.
Given the hike in the flag fall, one driver estimated that
soon bargained fares could reach Rp 50,000 from the airport to
Kebayoran Baru.
Local legislators are now urging the administration to
anticipate possible concerns among transit crews and the public
that the prices of fuel and staple foods will rise as well.
"The transportation fare increases will affect the inflation
rate, which will then influence the price of goods," said Lukman
Mokoginta, who chairs the Indonesian Democratic Party faction in
Jakarta.
In Semarang, Central Java, councilor Karseno, who chairs the
local commission on public welfare, expressed concern that the
fare increases do not reflect improvement of public
transportation, Antara reported.
"The fare increase follows the darkest chapter of our history
of public transport, the sinking of the Gurita ferry and the
recent Kramatdjati bus accident," Karseno said referring to the
disasters which claimed a total of hundreds of lives.
The Jakarta chapter of the organization of privately-owned
public transportation, Organda, urged owners not to raise rents
for at least one month.
However drivers of the Mayasari company said rents have
already been raised.
Salahuddin, a conductor of a Mayasari bus linking the Kampung
Rambutan-Grogol route, confirmed that the company has raised the
rent.
"But only few passengers pay the new fares of Rp 700 (up from
Rp 500). They get cross if we ask for more," Salahuddin said.
In the provinces authorities were cautious, although Haryanto
said the fares are effective today.
In Riau, the public relations officer of the provincial office
of the Ministry of Transportation, D.M. Simanjuntak, said
authorities have yet to hold a meeting to set the new fares.
He said the increases for Riau must take into account the fact
that the fares are already considered too high.
"This is because we are near Singapore," he said.
In Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra, Kamaruddin, the head
of the provincial branch of Organda said fares will be raised
gradually.
This is to prevent drastic increases in the prices of goods,
he said.
Jakarta Governor Surjadi Soedirdja urged the public not to
over react to the fare hikes.
"The fares to transport goods are not increased so it would be
illogical to increase their prices," Surjadi said.
Haryanto also responded to fears that because the fares for
students have not been increased, the crews of transit vehicles
will refuse to pick them up more often.
Students have often complained of being stranded because bus
crew prefer to take passengers paying the full fare.
"There is no excuse for not taking students, because full
fares are already cross-subsidized by the fares charged on the
air-conditioned express buses," Haryanto said. (team)
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