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Questions linger over emissions test
Roadworthy?: An official conducts an emissions test on a bus in the vicinity of the National Monument, Central Jakarta, on Thursday
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span class="inline inline-center">Roadworthy?: An official conducts an emissions test on a bus in the vicinity of the National Monument, Central Jakarta, on Thursday. The administration says it will require all vehicles in the city to pass emissions tests as of next month.JP/Nurhayati
With just a few weeks left before the mandatory emissions tests to be held in November, The Jakarta Post found that getting test stickers was a search for the chimerical.
Rudy Iman, a service supervisor at a garage in Cilandak, South Jakarta, certified to hold emissions tests told the Post his garage did not have the stickers.
“We only have the emissions stickers from last year,” he said.
Owners of cars that pass the test are supposed to receive a sticker and a report card detailing the test results.
Rudy said he had ordered a batch of new stickers through the Jakarta Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD) and PT Global, the distributor, at the end of 2008.
“But we haven’t got them even now,” he said.
“We get dozens of customers asking for the stickers. They’ve all read in the media about the November deadline, and they’re not content with just the test and the report card.”
Previous reports in various media outlets have also highlighted the unavailability of emissions test stickers at many certified garages.
The BPLHD announced recently that public and private cars that did not pass the test before November would be ticketed by traffic police.
It also said cars that had not undergone an emissions test in the past six months would have to do the test at any of the 238 certified garages.
BPLHD pollution and sanitation monitoring head Joni Tagor acknowledged the problem with the sticker distribution.
“Some garages have received the new stickers, but I personally haven’t received any report about the number of garages that have already received them,” he said.
Joni added certified garages and car owners who needed more information could contact the BPLHD office at (021) 520 9651 or (021) 520 9653.
He promised the BPLHD would “remind PT Global to distribute the stickers soon”.
Association of Indonesian Automotive Manufacturers (Gaikindo) secretary-general Freddy Sutrisno said the delay in the sticker distribution was caused by the small number of stickers ordered.
“Only 17 garages ordered stickers, 3,000 of them in total,” he said.
“PT Global told me they postponed the sticker production due to the low demand.”
Freddy also questioned the administration’s deadline of November for the mandatory emissions tests.
“There are only 238 garages certified to hold emissions tests in Jakarta,” he said.
“Even if they hold the tests all day long, they won’t be able to test all the cars in Jakarta before the deadline.”
Association of Auto Repair Shop Owners (Asbekindo) chairman Yayat Ruhiyat said garage owners would meet Oct. 29 over the plan.
“We haven’t been able to meet sooner because the information about the emissions test is so vague,” he said.
“Plus, the printing cost for the stickers and cards is quite expensive, so the certified garages haven’t ordered a lot.” (mrs)
