Transportation agency wants action on taxis

JAKARTA (JP): The Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) wants the municipality to order taxi companies to add cars to their fleets rather than permitting the operation of new taxi firms.

Aip Syaifudin, head of Organda, said in order to meet the public demand for taxis, it is more important to reorganize the existing companies which have problems.

He cited the cab firms' difficulty in providing more cars and failure to fulfill the requirement to convert fleets to the use of Compressed Natural Gas as fuel.

"The municipality should reprimand those companies and review their operation permits," Aip said, adding that it would be best if the municipality revoked the license of delinquent companies.

"It's all right to increase the number of taxis to accommodate the demand, but it would be easier to coordinate with fewer taxi companies," Aip told reporters over the weekend.

He explained that the number of taxis was growing in line with the public's demands, and that the public's tastes were dictating the provision of a variety of cab services. He cited the operation of the high-class taxis called Silver Bird, which charge a different fare.

"Many people can and are willing to pay higher fares. This means the demand for taxis in the city is still high," Aip said.

At the moment there are more than 17,500 registered taxis in the capital. The number of taxi companies has also increased, from 18 in early 1992 to 24 this year.

Competition

This number does not include the 3,000 taxis from Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi, which also operate in Jakarta.

Aip said problems arise when the 3,000 taxis from areas outside of Jakarta enter the city in search of fares. He complained that this leads to unhealthy competition.

The Jakarta Metropolitan Area Transportation Study carried out by the municipality and a Germany consultant found that Jakarta will need only 19,000 taxis in 1995. With the 3,000 cabs entering the capital from areas in West Java, there is a total of 20,500 cabs serving Jakarta.

"It is important for the municipality to cooperate with the government of West Java in solving this problem," Aip said.

He added that coordination should also be improved within the city's taxi companies. He advocated allowing the municipality to monitor and control the growing number of taxis.

In 1992, the governors of Jakarta and West Java signed a joint agreement to regulate taxi operation in the Greater Jakarta area (Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi). The agreement implicitly states that taxis whose operating firms are located in the three towns are prohibited from serving Jakarta.

But in the absence of punitive measures, this rule appears to be difficult to enforce. (yns)