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)