Surjadi checks irregularity reports at bus terminals
Surjadi checks irregularity reports at bus terminals
JAKARTA (JP): Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said yesterday he would impose a penalty on the owner of a bus discovered to have increased fares more than the regulation set by the government.
The governor discovered this when he, together with Speaker of the City Council, M.H. Ritonga, Deputy Governor for Government Affairs Idroes and other city officials, inspected bus terminals and the Senen railways station.
The city officials, who are members of the council for city administration, visited Kampung Rambutan and Pulogadung bus terminals in East Jakarta, Pasar Minggu terminal in South Jakarta and an additional terminal owned by state-owned bus company Damri in Central Jakarta.
At Pulogadung bus terminal the governor inspected three buses and spoke with a number of passengers. When he was aboard a Handoyo bus, plying the Jakarta-Central Java route, he discovered the company had charged people far higher than the regulation allows.
Passengers told Governor Surjadi they paid Rp 18,000 for a ticket to Wonosobo. The price printed on the tickets states the fare as Rp 15,000 per person, while the official price set by the government is Rp 10.500 per person.
"This bus has violated the regulation and the company should reimburse the passengers," Surjadi said.
He then ordered the head of the Jakarta Chapter of Transportation Ministry Abdul Karim to report the company to the directorate general of the land transportation ministry.
Surjadi said, however, that the penalty would be handed down to the owner(s) of the bus company after Idul Fitri so as to avoid "unrest" among both owners of other buses and public transportation passengers alike during the Moslem holiday.
Earlier this month the government decided to allow an increase of 25 percent in fares in an effort to avoid illegal hikes of ticket fares set by bus companies or the drivers.
In Pasar Minggu bus terminal Governor Surjadi also found a bus company violating the regulation by overcharging.
However, in general, both in Pulogadung and Kampung Rambutan bus terminals, the governor said most bus companies have obeyed the regulation.
During his inspection at the Damri station in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, governor Surjadi discovered many people standing in long queues in the sun to buy tickets, while none of the five ticket counters in the terminal were opened.
"Open the counters because people are waiting in the sun for hours. And why are the counters closed? Reports state that everything is under control and all counters are ready to serve passengers," Surjadi said angrily.
Head of City Land Transportation Control Agency J.P. Sepang said during the inspection that of 1,050 additional buses provided by the government, only 148 have been used because there was no passenger "explosion" in terminals.
"Many people decided to go home long before Idul Fitri, and there are companies that provide transportation for their employees," Sepang said.(yns)