Study to focus on night transportation

Study to focus on night transportation

JAKARTA (JP): The City Traffic and Land Transportation Control
Agency (DLLAJ), in cooperation with various transportation
companies, will research night transportation in an effort to
restructure nightly bussing operations.

The chief of the Department of Public Transportation
Operations, Juhdi, told reporters yesterday that research has
been prompted due to the fact that night routes served by several
firms at present are not profitable.

"We are hoping that the research will show which routes are in
need of night service because up to now, the transportation
companies assigned by the city administration to provide such
services are not operating effectively," Juhdi said.

He said that most of these companies are only operating three
vehicles per route every night.

He explained that the research will be done by counting
passengers in bus shelters and terminals from Dec. 12 to 17.
DLLAJ plans to train data collectors from bus companies such as
city-owned bus company PPD, Mayasari Bakti and Bianglala on Dec.
5.

"The research is aimed at finding the exact routes and number
of people who require night transportation services. Then the
office will decide the number of vehicles to be operated," Juhdi
said.

The city administration began providing transportation for
people who work the night-shift in hopes of controlling the
unauthorized 12-seat minivans with blackened license plates,
which dominate night transport services and are prohibited as
public transit vehicles.

Unfortunately, according to the latest evaluation conducted by
DLLAJ, many transportation companies are reluctant to run their
fleets at night because they cannot cover their operation costs.

Juhdi explained that his office has issued permits for night
buses on 57 routes and official minivans on 12 routes. By
comparison, the office has issued permits for 359 routes serving
day passengers.

He said that at night PPD operates 15 routes, Mayasari Bakti
18 routes, Bianglala one, Anion two, Himpurna three, Metro Mini
11, Kopaja six and Kopami one.

The data provided by the office shows that from the 57
existing routes only 18 are fully served. Sixteen of the 18
routes are served by the private-owned bus company Mayasari Bakti
and the remainder by PPD.

"All companies have been ordered to operate regularly on their
routes beginning Dec. 5 as preparation of the research," Juhdi
added. (yns)