Ticket scalpers

Ticket scalpers a t Gambir

From Koran Tempo

As a passenger, I would like to strongly complain to the railway authority about the train service, which makes passengers feel uncomfortable, and ticket scalpers making a huge profit from selling tickets at exorbitantly high prices.

Passengers who have stood in line for a long time are disappointed when they hear that tickets have been sold out. This is because scalpers are also lining up along with them and scrambling to get as many tickets as possible. They then hand the tickets over to their "boss" who offers the tickets to passengers at exorbitant prices.

It is more than irritating to see a man handing over a stack of tickets to scalpers who later sell them at twice the price. The normal price for an Argo Bromo or Anggrek ticket is Rp 190,000, but after scalpers get ahold of the tickets, the price jumps to Rp 350,000 and Rp 375,000 respectively. Meanwhile security officers, who are perhaps afraid to do anything, pretend to see nothing out of the ordinary and continue to sit there.

The economic crisis has forced many people to make money anyway they can but does that mean they can extort money from other people?

I am wondering if this is the best that the state-run public transportation company can offer the public. With this letter I would like to appeal to the authorities to take strict measures against ticket scalpers operating at the station. Who else dares to?

AG. W. SETYONUGROHO

Jakarta