Newspaper sellers to help guard proposed ERP system

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 08/25/2008 11:19 AM | City

Newspaper delivery sellers may benefit if the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system is implemented in Jakarta, but officials say public transportation must improve for congestion to decrease.

"(Newspaper sellers) will guard the ERP systems installed on the road from theft and vandalism if the plan for the ERP goes through. In return, they will receive compensation to add to their very low income," said Dicky, secretary of the Indonesia Newspaper Seller Foundation, on Sunday.

"It would save the (ERP) company money on hiring its own officers to guard the systems," Dicky said.

The proposal to implement the pricing system was made last year by Norway-based road-charging and tolling system provider Q-Free. The company's representatives have met with Jakarta's administration officials to discuss the service.

The administration says the system will reduce congestion in the city center.

Bambang Susantono, chairman of the Indonesian Transportation Society, said the ERP system may help cut road usage.

However, he said Jakarta's public transportation system was plagued by many problems that discouraged vehicle owners from seeking alternative transport.

He said the capital's bus and train services needed to provide more reliable schedules as well as comfort and safety for their passengers. The transportation systems must also connect more locations and provide for passengers who reside outside of Jakarta, he said.

"Transportation starts when someone steps out of his or her house, and not from station to station," he said.

Feeder buses and "drive and park" services are some options, he said.

Ellen Tangkudung, head of the transportation laboratory at the University of Indonesia, said she was concerned private car users would switch to motorcycles in response to the ERP system being enacted.

"In Stockholm (in Sweden), people switch to public transportation and bicycles, but here people may shift to motorcycles, which will not reduce the congestion," she said.

She also questioned the need for an electronic system.

"We need road pricing but maybe we do not need to use an electronic system at this moment to make it simpler and cheaper to implement," she said.

Both Ellen and Bambang said clear laws regulating transportation tax and the usage of collected funds were needed to convince the public that their money would eventually come back in the form of better services.

"It must be clear to the public that the funds should be put in a special account dedicated for transportation development and the government should publish yearly financial reports," Bambang said.

Q-Free vice president of sales Per Fredrik Ecker said an ERP system project could cost up to US$980 million in initial investment in London, England, and around $155 million in initial investment in Stockholm, Sweden. (mri)

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