YLKI slams express bus fare increase

YLKI slams express bus fare increase

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI)
yesterday blasted the Land Transport Owners Organization
(Organda) for increasing the fare of air-conditioned express
buses from Rp 1,300 to Rp 1,800 (78 US cents).

YLKI chairperson Tini Hadad asked the organization to review
its decision and set the fare lower than Rp 1,800.

"The organization should not feel it will `lose face' by doing
that," Tini said yesterday.

She said it is not relevant to link the bus fare increase to
the improvement of the bus service as promised by chairman of
Organda's Jakarta branch, Aip Sjarifuddin. "It is the duty of the
bus companies to serve the people. Better service does not relate
to the fare increase," she said.

According to Tini, the bus companies had made profits with the
old Rp 1,300 fare. "The increase in the number of air-conditioned
express buses was proof that the bus companies gained financial
profits from the old fare," she said.

"If Organda wanted to increase the bus fare, a 20-percent hike
would be reasonable," she said.

Organda began applying the new rate on Saturday. The City
Council had earlier criticized Organda and the city
administration for not making a public announcement prior to the
new fare's application date. The organization claimed to have the
city administration's approval for the increase.

Sahala Sinaga, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Democratic
Party faction of the City Council, said that the increase was
arbitrarily applied. It was regrettable that the city
administration had failed to officially inform the Council about
the increase.

Sahala called for the cancellation of the new fare as soon as
possible and urged the city administration to repeat the whole
process.

On Wednesday, a passenger of a Steady Safe express bus plying
the Lebak Bulus-Senen route got off the bus in protest of the new
fare.

"Could you show me the gubernatorial decree on the fare
increase?" the passenger asked. The bus conductor replied `no'.
The man then asked the driver to stop and disembarked early
instead of paying Rp 1,800.

In response to both the councilor's and the public's protests,
Governor Surjadi Soedirdja promised on Tuesday to reevaluate the
new fare's implementation.

He said reevaluation was necessary to avoid any public unrest.

YLKI Chairperson Tini Hadad yesterday called for proper
handling of any complaints addressed to Organda. The organization
has a phone number -- 739-8080 --- available to those who are
poorly treated by air-conditioned express bus crews.

"Organda must guarantee that the number working. The
organization should also remember that our society has yet to
become telephone-minded," Tini said.

Tini also criticized the bus companies for not adding to the
number of its air-conditioned express fleets and allowing
passengers to jostle each other in the bus.

According to a gubernatorial decree revised this year, an
express bus is allowed to have only 10 standing people on board.
In practice, the bus crew always lets on as many passengers as
possible.

"Passengers improperly treated by bus companies deserve fare
reductions as compensation. In this way, bus companies could
respect the passengers' right to comfort," she added. (sur)