Transjakarta staffers have been receiving a lot of criticism from customers and the public, but now it’s their turn to say why they do not smile as much as the public thinks they ought to.
Femmy Tineka, a single mother of two children and a Transjakarta bus driver since 2007, said motorcycles using the bus lane and careless jaywalkers were the worst.
“They’re going to give me a heart attack,” she added.
Femmy said that as soon as the bus left the station, the drivers were fully responsible for it, which means if something happened, she would have to pay for the damage.
“There was an accident, I hit and injured a jaywalker a couple of months ago. The Rp 29 million (US$2,600) in medical costs were deducted from my salary,” she said.
Sometimes passengers insist on entering an already crowded bus, even though there’s a maximum limit of 85 people, she said. If the bus got a flat tire because of the weight, the repair costs will also be deducted from her salary.
The bus security guards also expressed their problems in providing quality service to the passengers.
“People push their way into the bus even though I’ve blocked the door with my hand. It happens a lot during rush hours,” Aler Siagian, a Transjakarta driver assistant, said.
The assistants try their best to follow regulations but sometimes a bus will have up to 100 passengers, he said.
“Whether they are professionals or street people, they are all the same. They ignore the rules and force their way in.”
Andi, another assistant, said one of his tasks was to ensure pregnant women, the elderly and the handicapped got seats. But this was hard if the bus was crowded.
“We ask the younger men to give up their seats, but sometimes they pretend to sleep and refuse to wake up,” he said.
Another driver, Abram, said he knew people were complaining about buses arriving late.
The long lines at the compressed natural gas (CNG) stations is one of the reasons, he said.
“There are not many stations that have CNG and the ones selling it are usually crowded,” he said.
It can take up to 15 minutes to refill a bus’ tank, while the number of buses ahead of him could reach 10 or 15, he said.
“There are gas stations in each Transjakarta station, but they are not up and running yet.”
Other vehicles using bus way lanes during rush hour also disrupt the schedule, said Agus, another driver.
“If the traffic gets congested, cars and motorcycles use the lane, too,” he said.
However, there are things that these drivers are grateful about.
“Seeing kids on the streets waving and sometimes saluting me, makes me feel happy and proud.
“My kids are proud they have a single mother who works an unusual job as a bus driver to support the family,” Femmy said.
The workplace atmosphere is also one of the reasons she enjoys her job.
“There is no discrimination, everyone is treated the same way.”
Kasdi Naibaho, another driver, said Transjakarta has taught the drivers traffic discipline. Most Transjakarta drivers formerly worked for regular bus companies, which did not regulate the drivers like Transjakarta.
“Traffic discipline is a must for Transjakarta drivers because, initially it was a pilot project to deal with the city’s traffic problems, therefore, we must set a good example,” he said. (fmb)
