Public vehicles a safe haven for smokers: Survey

Desy Nurhayati ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 09/10/2009 10:29 PM  |  Jakarta

The Jakarta administration’s efforts to implement a smoking ban on public transportations since 2005 seems to have gone  up in smoke, as a recent survey by the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) reveals a high percentage of violations.

The survey, in early to mid-July, showed violations in 89 percent of 549 public buses and minivans in the city’s five municipalities.

YLKI’s coordinator Tulus Abadi said Thursday out of 807 violators caught smoking in public vehicles, 348 were drivers, 320 passengers and 139 were drivers’ assistants.

“Seventy six percent of the violators said they smoked inside  public transportation vehicles despite the ban because they were addicted, while 24 percent said it was because there were no officials that would crack down on them,” Tulus said.

The survey involved 226 mikrolet (minivans), 206  Metromini and Kopaja minibuses and 117 regular buses. YLKI said during the survey, the vehicles were, on average, half occupied by passengers.

Interviewers got on the buses and held 10-minute interviews with passengers, he said.

The city administration began introducing smoke-free zones in 2005 to effect implementation of a gubernatorial regulation issued that year.

Absolute smoke-free zones include public transportation, health-care buildings, schools, children's areas and places of worship.

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