Train fares cut 70% for poor travelers

JAKARTA (JP): State railway company Perumka is giving a 70 percent discount to people who have little means of returning home from Jakarta to West and East Java.

The discounts will only apply for those traveling using the provided trains which will begin departing every hour between 5 a.m. on Jan. 20 and 5 a.m. on Jan. 21.

Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto said the discounts were primarily aimed at helping the unemployed and cash strapped workers in Jakarta.

"We give this opportunity chiefly to people who are unemployed, who have been laid off and who cannot find jobs. As long as they have a little cash, please take advantage of this grand discount," he said.

Anyone who travels on those dates can use the discounts.

Haryanto did not say why Central Java was not included in the discount scheme or whether there would be any discount for those later wishing to return to Jakarta.

He said President Soeharto had given his permission to allow Perumka to give the discounts and that Vice President Try Sutrisno has also been informed of it.

"Seventy percent is quite a big deal," Haryanto said.

Perumka is making preparations to provide additional carriages so it can transport up to 70,000 passengers within that 24-hour period.

Haryanto said he would oversee the operation and assess whether it could be extended or even applied again in the future.

According to Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief, 120,000 workers in Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi had reportedly lost their jobs. (09)