Protests against a proposal to replace 1,000 ageing public minibuses and
minivans turned violent in Jakarta on Tuesday as striking drivers tried
to force vehicles still serving their routes to join the demonstration,
according to local media reports.
Hundreds of Kopaja, Metromini and angkot drivers took to the capital’s streets on Tuesday in large protests outside City Hall and city bus stations. The demonstrations left passengers stranded and caused large traffic jams in the already congested city.
Protests at Daan Mogot and Pasarrebo briefly turned violent before police shut them down, according to the Indonesian news portal BeritaJakarta.com.
Jakarta administration is mulling a proposal to replace 1,000 public minibuses in the capital and raise fees for bus and minivan drivers. Minibus drivers were concerned that replacing only 20 percent of the capital’s 5,000 buses will cause conflict among drivers.
“[This] will spark feelings of injustice,” Sudirman, head of the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda), told Detik.com. “This is a very good plan by the Jakarta governor, but he should pick a wiser mechanism.”
Angkot drivers demanded the administration scrap a plan to raise fees for public minivan drivers.
Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo met with the protestors at City Hall and agreed to not charge drivers city fees.
“All levies that burdened the drivers will be removed,” he said after the meeting. “I’ve made the calculations and concluded that there are only small earnings from levies for the city, some Rp 2.3 billion ($238,000).
“We have to protect the low-income drivers.”
The new buses are scheduled to hit the capital’s streets in the next three years, Joko said.
“We’re hoping to complete [the replacements] quickly,” he said. JG, BeritaSatu (sumber: thejakartaglobe.com)
Hundreds of Kopaja, Metromini and angkot drivers took to the capital’s streets on Tuesday in large protests outside City Hall and city bus stations. The demonstrations left passengers stranded and caused large traffic jams in the already congested city.
Protests at Daan Mogot and Pasarrebo briefly turned violent before police shut them down, according to the Indonesian news portal BeritaJakarta.com.
Jakarta administration is mulling a proposal to replace 1,000 public minibuses in the capital and raise fees for bus and minivan drivers. Minibus drivers were concerned that replacing only 20 percent of the capital’s 5,000 buses will cause conflict among drivers.
“[This] will spark feelings of injustice,” Sudirman, head of the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda), told Detik.com. “This is a very good plan by the Jakarta governor, but he should pick a wiser mechanism.”
Angkot drivers demanded the administration scrap a plan to raise fees for public minivan drivers.
Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo met with the protestors at City Hall and agreed to not charge drivers city fees.
“All levies that burdened the drivers will be removed,” he said after the meeting. “I’ve made the calculations and concluded that there are only small earnings from levies for the city, some Rp 2.3 billion ($238,000).
“We have to protect the low-income drivers.”
The new buses are scheduled to hit the capital’s streets in the next three years, Joko said.
“We’re hoping to complete [the replacements] quickly,” he said. JG, BeritaSatu (sumber: thejakartaglobe.com)
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