Rise in bus fares being considered

Rise in bus fares being considered

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said yesterday that
the proposal of transportation businesses that minibus fares be
raised will be considered from various points of view.

He said the city administration will collect input from
various related parties, including the Organization of Land
Transportation Entrepreneurs, and that various aspects of that
input will later be discussed.

Last Tuesday, some businessmen involved in city
transportation, including Ch. Soenarto, the chairman of the
Jakarta Transportation Cooperative (Kopaja), Simanjuntak, the
president of PT Metro Mini and Musdarudin, the chairman of
Koantas Bima, went to the House of Representatives proposing that
the fares charged by minibuses operating in the city be raised.

The businessmen, representing 2,569 public transportation
businesses, demanded that they be allowed to raise the fare from
Rp 300 (13 US Cents) to Rp 500.

They also asked that the bus fare for students be raised from
Rp 100 to Rp 200.

The businessmen said they had sent a letter to the governor
over the matter, but that no response had been received.

In a related development, Abdulgani H.Abdullah, a councilor
from the Indonesian Democratic Party faction, said the
businessmen must improve their services to the public.

"They should not be too profit-oriented ... they are also
required to give better service to the public," he said, adding
that the service provided by public transportation vehicles in
the city is still poor.

They must provide better services for the public because the
city is being developed into a service city, he said.

He said that the governor must consult with the city council in
determining public transport fares.

Mohammad Aman, a councilor from the Armed Forces faction on
the city council, said that plans to raise bus fares should be
discussed comprehensively, taking into account a great number of
aspects because the fare increase has many implications for the
city's economy.

He said the hike might affect the prices of basic commodities.

He added that the city administration should take care in
deciding the question.

Bandjar Marpaung of the Golkar faction suggested that the city
administration seek ways to have tariffs on spare parts for
motorized vehicles reduced. "That might discourage public
transportation companies from raising fares," he said.

Currently there are 2,000 Metro Mini buses, 800 Kopaja buses
and 85 Koantas Bima buses operating in the city.(32)