Strike against unauthorized fees cripples public transportation

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar

Public transportation was nearly brought to a standstill in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Tuesday as more than 1,000 drivers went on a strike in protest at widespread unauthorized fees.

Thousands of commuters were stranded on streets across the city as a result of the strike, which started at around 9 a.m.

The striking drivers refused to take passengers and some of them even went as far as forcibly dropping others on the streets before they had reached their destination.

The Jakarta Post observed that the protest affected routes between Makassar and Maros regency, Daya and Makassar Mall, Sudiang and Makassar Mall, Bumi Tamalanrea Permai and Makassar Mall, and Tamalanrea and Makassar Mall, where hundreds of commuters lined up along roadsides.

Many of the stranded passengers had to walk or use ojek (motorcycle taxis) to reach their destinations.

A number of public transportation vehicles that remained operational were stopped by strikers who ordered them to drop passengers on streets.

Protest coordinator Zubair said the drivers staged the strike to protest both legal and illegal fees imposed on them, apart from regular fees paid to the land transportation vehicle organization (Organda).

"Every day we have to pay unauthorized fees that continually increase," he said.

Zubair, who once registered himself as a candidate in a gubernatorial election in South Sulawesi, said the fees charged to local drivers ranged from Rp 500 to Rp 1,500 per route.

"This has posed a burden on us because we also have to set aside money to cover the maintenance costs of our vehicles," he added.

He said the burden would increase for those who rented vehicles for public transport service.

The Makassar communications office issued a circular last year to ban all fees collected from local public transportation drivers, but the ruling was blatantly ignored.

The strikers urged the provincial police to scrap the fees and take firm action against any of their personnel involved.

They also slammed the Makassar administration for issuing additional public transportation permits for other vehicles in the city, which they said had reduced their income.

They accused the local authorities of "selling" permits for their own gain, without taking into account the fate of others.

The city mayor should end the imposition of such fees and revoke a decision to create new routes in Makassar, they added.

In their rally at Makassar legislative council, the protesters sought the support of council members to help them achieve their demands.