Restriction on taxi operations draws criticism

JAKARTA (JP): Officials at the Jakarta office of the Ministry of Transportation and Bekasi administration have expressed concern over a decision to prohibit taxis from the capital's outskirts from operating in Jakarta.

A. Karim Tjokroprawiro, head of the office, was quoted by Antara as saying over the weekend that such a decision is not justifiable because it is feared to cause many negative impacts.

J.P. Sepang, head of the City Land Transportation Control Agency, announced on Wednesday that taxis from Depok, Bekasi and Tangerang are not allowed to operate in the city.

"Based on the agreement, which was signed last year by representatives of the agency and officials from the West Java provincial government, taxis from Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi, are allowed to drop passengers they transport into the city, but are prohibited from picking up passengers in the city," he said.

However, in practice, agency officials forcefully stopped out- of-town taxis heading for Jakarta at the borderline between Jakarta and its buffer zones. The taxis were not allowed to enter the city. The taxi drivers were forced to let their passengers get off. The passengers had to take other Jakarta taxis to continue their journeys.

The agency's data shows that 18,207 taxis, owned by 27 Jakarta companies, operate in the capital, while about 95 percent of the estimated 4,000 taxis from other cities "invade" Jakarta everyday.

Karim expressed fear that this indiscriminate action will severely affect both the taxi drivers and passengers.

"Taxi drivers will be reluctant to take passengers to the outer areas because their taxis will be empty on the return trip, while passengers will receive bad services because taxi drivers will prefer not to use the taxi meter, thereby causing the passengers to pay much more than the usual rate," he said.

Karim explained that taxis are a public transportation means for middle class people, who mostly live in the outskirts of the city but work in the capital.

"If taxi drivers refuse to take them home, these people will tend to use their own vehicles," he said, adding that the use of private vehicles will worsen the already crowded traffic condition.

In a related development, Atang Sudjana, spokesman for the Bekasi administration, also questioned the one-sided decision.

"Will restricting taxis from entering the capital also mean that Jakartans are not allowed to use facilities or own houses in Bekasi?" he asked.

"How, if all vehicles from Jakarta are not allowed to enter the buffer zones, especially Bekasi, will they operate? This will cause a national problem, right?" he asked again, reported the Kompas daily on Saturday.

Over 1,000 taxi drivers in Bekasi are becoming increasingly restless because the restriction of the taxi operation affects their incomes.

Both Karim and Atang urged the Jakarta administration to discuss the problem jointly with representatives of the Bogor, Tangerang, and Bekasi regencies.

According to Atang any administrative and operation problems could be settled through the Greater Jakarta development cooperation agency, which was issued under a Presidential decree in 1977.

Through such a coordination the problem is expected to be settled effectively, he said. (32)