YLKI for 25% Idul Fitri fare hike

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) objected on Tuesday to the Association of Public Land Transportation Owners (Organda) Jakarta branch's proposal to increase inter-city bus fares by 50 percent during the upcoming annual Idul Fitri holidays.

Tini Hadad, a YLKI executive board member, said her foundation agreed to a 25 percent only increase in bus fares for the annual exodus.

According to Tini, the association's demand was unfair and would only burden the seasonal travelers.

Every year, almost one third of Jakarta's 10 million residents leave the capital, usually starting a week before Idul Fitri, which marks the end of the Muslim Ramadhan fasting month.

Most of them are working people, such as government employees, drivers and housekeepers, heading back to their hometowns in Java and Sumatra to celebrate Idul Fitri together with their families.

Bus owners regularly ask for price hikes during the festive season -- usually effective 10 days before and after Idul Fitri -- since on arrival at their destinations the buses are asked by the authorities to almost immediately return to Jakarta, often half full, to pick up the sea of waiting passengers.

Tini said the inter-city bus fares' increases (locally called tuslah) during the holiday should be the same as that of previous years.

Apart from the fact that the people's economic situation here has yet to fully recover, such an increase as proposed by the association would also be unfair since most of the vehicles are still in a poor condition, Tini said.

"Many bus owners can do nothing to upgrade their vehicles after the prices of vehicle spare parts skyrocketed during the recent economic crisis," she explained.

Culprits

Tini also reminded bus terminal authorities to seriously monitor the situation in their terminals during the holiday.

For years, she said, the price of inter-city bus fares had been doubled from their marked tariff before being offered to passengers.

"We really want to end such bad practices by asking the terminal authorities to stop them," she said.

This illegal practice was usually performed by the bus crew, in conjunction with middlemen operating within the terminals as well.

This year, Idul Fitri is expected to fall on Jan. 8, 2000.

The proposal submitted recently to the government by the association was also rejected by Minister of Communications Agum Gumelar.

He recently said the government would only recommend a 35 percent increase in inter-city bus fares during the Idul Fitri season.

Tini also questioned the government's lack of seriousness in preparing proper services for the Idul Fitri holiday makers.

"The authorities have done nothing so far. That's why I don't think that this year's transportation will be much better than the previous years," she said.

The city administration promised renovation works at the city's terminals, though so far they have not been seen.

The City Land Transportation Agency announced its plan early this month to spend some Rp 2 billion in renovating six bus terminals in anticipation of the peak season.

The renovation, it said, was earmarked for the following bus terminals: Senen in Central Jakarta; Rawamangun, Kampung Rambutan and Pulogadung in East Jakarta; Kalideres in West Jakarta and Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta. (ind)