Scalpers, higher fares give travelers 'annual' headache

Scalpers, higher fares give travelers 'annual' headache

By I. Christianto

JAKARTA (JP): Every year the government allows bus operators
to impose a surcharge on passengers which locals call tuslah
during the Muslim Idul Fitri holidays.

The policy is intended as a sort of incentive for transport
operators to render good services when an unusually high number
of people scramble for transport to take them back home.

Every time, likewise, the annual tuslah policy becomes a
headache as the operators intentionally charge a lot more than
the allowed rate when millions of Indonesians travel round about
the festive season.

To make things worse, the government although in a position to
take punitive action against them is also in an awkward position
because buses are urgently needed at this time.

Ticket scalpers at railway and bus stations are just another
big annoyance for passengers. There, too, government can hardly
take action.

Transportation during the festival of Idul Fitri is always
colored with desperation although the service has been prepared
months in advance. The government is set to deploy a massive
fleet of buses, trains, vessels and aircraft for the season.

The government has predicted that 15 million people nationwide
will travel around this year's Idul Fitri compared to the 18.49
million in 1998.

More than 65 percent of the total number of holidaymakers
traditionally take buses to travel to their hometowns. Trains
have become more popular since the price of plane tickets
skyrocketed.

J.A. Barata, spokesman for the Directorate General of Land
Transportation, said that bus operators were allowed to impose
tuslah exclusively for services from and to the country's capital
during the annual exodus, seven days before and after the Idul
Fitri.

The philosophy of tuslah is based on a generous attribution to
bus operators who must transport passengers from Jakarta to other
areas at full -- and sometimes overly full -- capacity and return
to the capital empty as soon as possible to collect other
passengers. Every year passengers have to subsidize companies
operating buses returning empty after they have been transported
back home.

Millions of people, mostly those in the low-income group as
well as casual workers, from the greater Jakarta area normally
travel throughout Java and Sumatra in the weeks surrounding the
Idul Fitri holiday. Some 1.2 million people are expected to
depart from Jakarta by bus this year.

The government has set a tuslah of 35 percent this year much
higher than the 25 percent set in 1998.

"This is due to the rise in spare parts prices since the
outbreak of the economic crisis which affects bus operators.
Secondly, the buses have to return to Jakarta, the hub of the
annual exodus, sooner than ever, because fewer vehicles are now
able to operate," Barata said.

He said that tuslah was introduced only for buses. "We offer
discounts of between 10 percent and 20 percent for train
passengers before and after the peak period to prevent chaos," he
said, adding that the peak period occurred from Jan. 16 through
18.

He said that the government would take stern action against
bus operators charging excessive rates if there was hard
evidence.

"If proven guilty, a company is subject to sanctions such as
having its license frozen for up to 24 months or being banned
from expanding its fleet. However, we can only impose the
punishment after the exodus is over."

To get rid of scalpers at train stations, the Jakarta
operations area of the railway service has offered a reward of Rp
200,000 and a free ticket for anyone able to apprehend a
scalper," he said.

Management

Barata said that the Ministry of Communications always
prepared transportation for the Idul Fitri exodus long before
Idul Fitri in order to provide a better service.

"This time we have been preparing it since August. This means
that we, the officials and executives from the ministry and
related state-owned companies, set to work long before other
offices did," he said.

He said that the transportation began this year on Jan. 12 and
will end on Jan. 27 as Idul Fitri is to fall on Jan. 19 and 20.

"We focus on land transportation in seven provinces: Lampung,
West Java, Jakarta, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java and Bali.
Sea and air transportation services cover the whole country."

In addition to the peak season, services were also prepared
during the return period predicted to last between Jan. 23 and
Jan. 27.

"This year is very challenging due to the prolonged economic
crisis. Only 60 percent of the total number of intercity buses
can operate. There are only 93 aircraft, much less than the 175
that operated last year," he said.

According to Barata, the number of passengers is estimated to
drop to some 15 million this year. The number of bus passengers
is estimated to decrease by 15 percent to 10 million, while the
number of air passengers to plummet by more than 35 percent to
326,000.

He said that the ministry of communications has prepared the
transportation service in cooperation with the Armed Forces,
National Police, the Search and Rescue Agency, and several
ministries and provincial administrations.