Worried conductors protest over fare collection system

Worried conductors protest over fare collection system

JAKARTA (JP): A 15-person delegation, claiming to represent
over 1,000 conductors of the PPD city buses yesterday asked the
House of Representatives to drop the new, draconian policy of the
state-owned company.

As a result of the firm's new policy, the delegation said that
they stand to lose jobs due to the direct payment system which no
longer requires any crewpeople to collect fares from passengers.

"It seems to us that the company wants to 'kill' us by
applying this new system," Robin, a spokesman for the delegation,
said. "We need the government to decide on our fate."

The representatives of the conductors were received by A.
Sukarna and A. Simandjuntak from the Armed Forces faction.

According to Robin, the city bus conductors will only get
their monthly wages, between Rp 90,000 and Rp 100,000 (US$41.20
and $45.80), if PPD uses the new payment system, locally called
RMB (new method route) and it is applied to PATAS (express)
buses.

As it was before, he said, they could earn extra money as long
as they were able to pay the dues of Rp 130,000 per bus, per
half-day work.

Robin refused to describe how much extra money but some
estimated that the amount could be around Rp 20,000 per crew.

The house members vowed to convey their complaints to PPD and
to get more details from the minister of transportation.

Reporters

Earlier, 30 PPD conductors plying routes to Tangerang who
claimed to represent all their colleagues, sought help by
traveling to the office building of the local PWI (Indonesian
Journalists Association ) on Sunday.

They were also worried that they might lose their jobs when
the new system takes effect.

They told a group of reporters there that the RMB would
deprive them of their jobs when it takes effect later this month.
Under the new system no conductors are needed to collect fares
from the passengers. Instead, the passengers pay the fares by
inserting money into a coin box installed near the driver's seat.

In actuality PPD has operated the RMB system since 1992. But
at the time it was called the RMB 55 and was used only on a
special route linking Rawamangun in East Jakarta and Pasar Baru
business district in Central Jakarta with 10 buses, several of
them air-conditioned.

The buses stop only at appointed bus shelters to pick up or
drop off passengers, unlike the ordinary buses which often pick
up or drop off passengers away from designated bus stops. The
buses also operate on schedule, providing certainty to passengers
as well as safety since the drivers are forbidden from speeding.

One of the conductors, Amir Sibarani, said that more than 200
conductors have been laid off since the RMB 55 system was
started.

"We do not reject the system, but only urge that the
implementation of it be postponed until we are able to get
another job," he said.

He added since the operation of another type of RMB system for
air-conditioned buses early this year, many conductors have lost
their jobs.

"They came to the depot only to be told that there were no
jobs for them. Eventually many of them were told by the company
to resign," Amir said.

Meanwhile, PPP director Yahya Subandi assured on Sunday that
his company would pay serious attention to the plight of the
conductors.

"They should be inordinately worried about it. They will not
end up in misery. We will provide other jobs for them," Yahya
said. But he refused to go into detail and appeared evasive when
pressed by persistent reporters about what exactly he meant by
"other jobs." (bas/bsr)