Toll road hawkers shown new course

JAKARTA: State toll road operator PT Jasa Marga has held training courses for dozens of fruit hawkers who peddle their wares along the Jagorawi toll road.

"We taught them new skills with which they can earn money so they would don't have to sell fruit along the highway any more," Jasa Marga's Jagorawi branch director Subakti Syukur said on Saturday, adding that the company had banned them from the toll road since earlier this year as they endangered road users.

Jasa Marga has already held the first two courses, which ended on Sept. 9. Thirty-six vendors participated in the Rp 29 million (US$3,186.81) training program. Of the 36 participants, 15 of them enrolled in a driving course while 21 joined the sewing class.

The company collaborated with the Adiguna driving school in Bogor and sewing teacher Ibu Yani from Ciawi.

Another 90 people have been enrolled in the second training course, mostly from villages on each side of the toll road, like Cipambuan, Katulampa and Cibanon. -- Antara