Busway operator Transjakarta claims to provide better comfort and safety on its buses compared with other public transportation, but some passengers beg to differ.

HOP, STEP AND JUMP: Pedestrians tread carefully while crossing a pedestrian bridge at Tosari busway shelter in Central Jakarta (file photo). (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)

Defa, a resident of Cilandak, South Jakarta, said she almost fell from Polda (Jakarta Police headquarters) busway shelter at Jl. Sudirman, South Jakarta, because a floor plate was missing.

"I was not wearing my spectacles and was in a hurry. It was 7 p.m. and was dark already. I couldn't see clearly as there was no lamp. My foot fell into a hole on the overpass floor," she said.

"Fortunately, there were people passing by. They pulled me out of the hole."

Yacob, a volleyball fan, related a similar experience: he said he almost fell in Gelora Bung Karno busway shelter, South Jakarta, as he was on his way to the Proliga Volleyball Competition in Senayan last year.

"A bit of the floor panel was sticking out. I almost fell, but I managed to get my balance. I could see the street below and the cars passing by through the chink. It was a horrifying moment. It made me stop taking the busway," he said.

Erni, Defa's colleague, said she usually took extra care at the busway shelter in front of the Corruption Eradication Commission office in Kuningan because the floor plates on the overpass were torn apart.

According to Erni, the damage, which had the potential to trip someone up, was left unrepaired for weeks.

She said the officers had put up yellow tape to warn people using the overpass.

"I pass that shelter everyday so I have got used to the damage. But it will be dangerous for people who are not familiar with the shelter. They might fall or stumble. Why did the repairs take such a long time?" Erni said.

Evelyn, a medical student at the University of Indonesia, said she often stumbled when climbing the steps to busway overpasses. She also noted the steps on each busway overpass were often of different sizes.

"Some overpasses have the right size to step on but some don't. In the end, I decided to stop taking the busway because it's not comfortable or safe," she said.

The Jakarta Post recorded that 13 people died and 16 suffered severe injuries after being hit by buses between March 2006 and May 2008.

Transportation agency head Nurrachman said his office deployed officers to check the overpasses, shelters and other busway facilities everyday.

"We try to fix any damage reported as soon as possible. However, we are short of officials to do it," he said.

Some passengers also made notes about safety related to shelter doors.

Wina, a resident of Pondok Bambu, East Jakarta, said the sensor system on busway shelter doors could lead to someone caught between the doors.

"I once saw a teenage boy trapped outside the shelter. Perhaps he could not get into the bus and the shelter doors closed automatically. It was lucky he didn't fall," she said.

Evelyn said the shelter doors often opened suddenly, which could cause passengers to fall out of the shelters.

"Passengers usually shove each other when waiting for the bus. What if the doors opened suddenly?" she asked.

Evelyn also questioned busway regulations about how passengers get on and off the bus.

In several busway corridors, the bus will stop at one door to unload passengers and move to another door to load them.

Evelyn said she had waited at the right door, but a busway driver allowed passengers to enter from the unloading door and left before she could get on.

"Neither the passengers nor the busway driver had any road manners. I had to wait for another bus," she said.

Other passengers also complained about the drivers' manners.

Wina said during one trip, the busway driver stopped in the middle of the trip and left his seat to take a call on his cell phone.

"I think that's not professional. He shouldn't stop if the bus isn't at a bus shelter," she said.

Erni said she often found busway drivers drove too fast and slammed on the brakes carelessly, causing standing passengers to stumble. To avoid falling down, she usually gets on at Halimun shelter, where she can usually get a seat on the bus.

"Corridor 6 (Kuningan-Lebak Bulus) is always full. People are always standing on the bus. The drivers should be more careful because many of the standing passengers are women," she said.

Under the regulations, the normal maximum speed for busway buses is 45 kilometers per hour.

Popular

Essay competition: ‘Rethinking work: Driving sustainable growth in the digital age’

Indonesia seizes ship carrying narcotics worth $426 million

Hotels demand crackdown on unlicensed rentals in Bali