Taxi giant Blue Bird gets 300 more cabbies

Taxi giant Blue Bird gets 300 more cabbies

JAKARTA (JP): Blue Bird, the giant city taxi company, will
employ an additional 300 cabbies next year as a result of its
management takeover deal with Morante Jaya, the Blue Bird
director has said.

"As we have a big demand for more cabbies, we welcome
cooperation with other cab companies such as Morante Jaya,"
Purnomo Prawiro told reporters at his office Thursday.

According to him, the company have to reject orders from
customers, amounting to 57,000 daily, since it operates only
1,600 taxies.

According to the agreement, Blue Bird will be given a 20
percent share in the cooperation, in return for taking over the
management of Morante's operations, with 80 percent remaining
with the original owners.

"We'll apply all of Blue Bird's operational policies,
including the regulations, training and quality of service to the
Morante Jaya drivers," Purnomo said.

The company's point of view is that drivers are
"representatives on whom the company's good image depends." Blue
Bird stresses the importance of training and various social
welfare facilities, such as health care and credit for housing
for drivers, he said.

The company also applies computerized control of reservations
and records of passengers' complaints, which amounts to
approximately 20 persons each month, he said.

"We always trace back the complaints and try to evaluate
them," Purnomo said. He added that most of the complaints that
Blue Bird receives are related to taxies arriving late.

The 300 taxis of Morante Jaya will start operating under the
scheme next year. In the first stage starting next month 160
taxis will be operated while 40 others will follow in February
and the rest later.

With this most recent addition, Blue Bird will operate a total
of 2,600 cabbies, 1,000 of which are in Bali.

AN official of the Jakarta chapter of the Organization of Land
Transport Owners' Company said here yesterday that even though
there have been no complaints about taxi shortage in the capital
city, as he claims, the administration has allowed more cabs to
operate here next year.

Data from the organization says that Jakarta will have 17,300
taxies next year operated by 24 companies. (03)