Sutiyoso asks council to focus on bus fares

Sutiyoso asks council to focus on bus fares

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso wrote to the newly established
City Council on Wednesday asking them to prioritize the city
administration's proposal of putting up the price of bus fares.

The letter, issued two days after some 160 bus drivers and
owners rallied to City Hall and threatened to conduct a massive
strike next week, was signed by Deputy Governor for Development
Affairs Budihardjo Sukmadi, on behalf of the Governor.

The council's provisional speaker, Abdul Aziz Matnur,
confirmed on Wednesday that the council had received the
governor's letter.

"However, we could not reply to the letter or start discussing
the proposal because we are still busy with meetings to establish
the council's five commissions and elect the council speaker and
leaders," Aziz from the Justice Party (PK) said.

He said the proposal would not be discussed until the council
had elected a council speaker as well as his or her deputies. The
city representatives also have to be established for the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR). The election of council leaders is
to be held on Sept. 14, and the establishment of the city
representatives on Sept. 20.

Former head of the council's Commission D for development
affairs, Ali Wongso Sinaga, suggested that the city
administration should comply with the former council's
recommendation.

"Governor Sutiyoso has yet to comply with our recommendation
that the city administration subsidize the bus owners, through
the eradication of taxes and levies," Ali who now chairs Lembaga
Pengkajian dan Pemberdayaan Daerah, a research group on regional
empowerment, said on Wednesday.

He dismissed speculations that the former council
intentionally issued an unclear recommendation to the city
administration to avoid the responsibility and to give extra work
to the new council.

"It's a very complicated problem. We disagree with the fare
hikes as the majority of the city residents are still suffering
from the economic crisis," Ali said.

"Many passengers don't even pay the fares because they have no
money. How can we suggest a price rise in such a situation?" he
asked.

Meanwhile, Ali said that bus owners have also suffered from
the crisis. "They have had to deal with price increases for bus
spare parts and for operational costs."

Although the bus owners have suffered, Ali hoped that they
would cancel their plan to stage a massive strike next week.

Some 160 bus owners, drivers and conductors from bus firms
such as Kopaja, Metro Mini, ARH, Koantas Bima, Mayasari Bhakti,
Hiba, Himpurna and Pahala Kencana, threatened to conduct a
massive strike next week if Sutiyoso failed to raise fares.

Sutiyoso's bus fare hike proposal was based on a
recommendation by the Organization of Land and Transportation
Owners (Organda), the City Land Transportation Agency (DLLAJ) and
the Indonesian Consumers Organization (YLKI).

The proposal included an increase in regular bus fares from Rp
300 to Rp 500 and an increase from Rp 700 to Rp 900 for non-air-
conditioned buses.

The minibus fares were recommended to increase to Rp 700 from
Rp 500, while the air-conditioned Patas bus fares were to rise to
Rp 2,500 from Rp 2,300. The student fare for regular buses was to
be doubled from the current Rp 100. (jun)