Sutiyoso to spank naughty bus operators

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Governor Sutiyoso threatened on Thursday to revoke the operation permits of any public transportation owners who raised their fares in response to the 29 percent fuel price increase announced on March 1.

"First, I will warn them if they raise their fares. Should they insist, I won't be reluctant to revoke their operation permits," he said.

Sutiyoso said he told the City Transportation Agency to step up its monitoring of public transportation to ensure fares were not illegally raised.

The city has not indicated if it will increase bus fares following the increase of fuel prices. But there have been reports of bus crews in the capital charging passengers more than the official fares.

Rustam Effendy Sidabutar, the head of the City Transportation Agency, however, denied there was a major problem with bus crews raising fares.

"Any public transportation crews raising fares must be from transportation operators whose offices are located outside the city," Rustam said.

He said public transportation owners in Jakarta had pledged not to make any moves before the administration announced new transportation fares.

The agency has set up complaint posts at bus terminals across the city and along main roads for passengers to lodge complaints of illegal fare hikes.

Those posts are located in Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta; Ratu Plaza and Pondok Pinang, South Jakarta; UKI Cawang and Orion, East Jakarta; Plumpang and Permai, North Jakarta; and in Citra Land and Jl. S. Parman, West Jakarta.

Passengers can also contact the agency at (021) 3457471 to file complaints.

The Jakarta Post reported on Wednesday several Metromini buses traveling between Pondok Kopi and Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta, a public minivan traveling from Kampung Melayu to Pasar Minggu in South Jakarta, and Metromini buses on routes between Depok and Grogol, and Kebayoran Lama and Ciputat, had raised their fares.

The administration announced on Thursday it had 111 trucks and buses from the military and 250 buses from the City Tourism Agency and the Public Order Agency at the ready in case of a transportation strike.

Rustam said there were fears of a strike as public transportation crews grew more vociferous in their protests over the fuel price increase.

"We fear that public transportation crews will not go along with their employers," he said.