Some celebrate holiday by ripping off travelers

Some celebrate holiday by ripping off travelers

Bambang Nurbianto and Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta

Travelers heading to their hometowns to celebrate the Muslim's
Idul Fitri holiday have always been a great target for fraud by
both bus operators and ticket scalpers, and this year is no
different.

The government's floor and ceiling bus fares of 20 percent
lower and higher than the normal price respectively -- which is
effective seven days before and after the Idul Fitri on Dec. 6
and Dec. 7 -- are useless as most bus operators set it far higher
and sometimes collude with scalpers to go even higher.

PO Selo Katon bus operator in Lebak Bulus bus station, South
Jakarta, has sold tickets for Rp 80,000 each from the regular
price of Rp 55,000 to Klaten, Central Java. Similar practices
have also been reported by PO SariIndah which heads to Ponorogo,
East Java.

Erna Rosida, an officer of the Indonesian Consumers
Organization (YLKI) who monitored the ticket sales at Pulo Gadung
and Kampung Rambutan bus stations in East Jakarta, said she was
given death threats by bus operators when she queried them.

"Don't provoke the passengers or I'll kill you," Erna told The
Jakarta Post, quoting PO Handoyo's officer when she was trying to
confirm complaints from a passenger who had to buy a ticket from
the operator which serves the Jakarta-Tegal route.

Similar threats were also experienced by another YLKI officer,
Kurnia, in Kampung Rambutan bus depot. She said some 10 ticket
scalpers and drivers tried to intimidate her said her activities
were causing "problems".

In all the bus stations, it was difficult to distinguish
between official bus operators and scalpers as all of them wear
uniforms. But the scalpers often force travelers to buy bus
tickets from certain operators, who they are in collusion with,
so they can get about a 6 percent commission from each ticket
they sell.

"They are annoying, because the force people through
intimidation to buy tickets from certain bus operators. One of
them even physically dragged me to a certain ticker seller," said
Endang, a 22-year old girl who was heading to Kebumen, Central
Java.

In the railway stations, ticket scalpers still operate freely
in offering tickets at exorbitant prices to desperate travelers.
They are not difficult to find as they will approach when someone
looks confused and desperate.

"Which ticket do you need? Bandung or Surabaya?" a ticket
scalper asked an undercover journalist at the Gambir railway
station.

"I'll give you an executive train ticket for Rp 110,000
(US$12.3) only considering this peak season condition."

He laughed heartily after being asked to lower the price to Rp
60,000, even though the official price is Rp 45,000.

State-owned train operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI)
claims it had nabbed 23 ticket scalpers in cooperation with the
City Police.

"We caught the scalpers during our operations in Jatinegara
rail station, East Jakarta, and Gambir rail station last Friday,"
said head of security at PT KAI's Jakarta division, Djinandir on
Friday.

Similar tough actions have also been said to be taking place
by state-owned ship company PT Pelni by terminating its contract
with 12 travel agents.

"So far we have terminated contracts with 12 travel agents
which were involved in ticket scalping activities for the Idul
Fitri exodus period," PT Pelni spokesman Pelni, Abubakar Goyim,
told the Post Friday.

"The termination left some 40 authorized travel agents to
distribute our tickets in Greater Jakarta. But we won't hesitate
to drop more cheating travel agents."

PT Pelni introduced a new system this year at its ticketing
service center in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, where would-be
passengers must first take forms from a special desk. They must
then present copies of their identity cards with the completed
forms to get a copy of their queue number. Nine counters are
ready to serve ticket buyers, who must wait before their queue
number appears on an electronic screen.

Similar systems have been applied at PT KAI's ticket
reservation center on Jl. Djuanda, Central Jakarta, to control
scalpers more effectively.

Djinandir said he had yet to catch any scalpers at the
reservation center but the security personnel had expelled
hundreds of cohorts who work for the scalpers.

On Saturday, the increase of travelers at several bus stations
increased by around 10 to 20 percent from normal days. Head of
Kali Deres bus station in West Jakarta, Jhonny Barata, estimated
that the exodus would reach its peak on Sunday and Monday.