T

he city’s parking unit will conduct two weeks of inspections in hundreds of parking locations in the city to ensure operators implement official tariff rates.

“Our standard inspection schedule is once every three months. But I have ordered my officers to make fortnightly inspections because this is a special case,” the head of the parking unit, Benjamin Bukit, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.     

He said that his office could not hold frequent inspections because they had limited human resources.

Benjamin said his office had the authority to impose three kinds of punishments for parking violations, including warnings and permit revocation.

“Our last warning is heavy. If the operators dare to play the ‘cat and mouse’ approach in applying the tariffs we will impose sanctions,” Benjamin said.  

So far, the parking unit has reprimanded parking operators that have breached tariff regulations in 77 locations.

The unit issued operation permits in 584 locations across the city.  

Benjamin said that during a meeting with parking operators on Tuesday, the operators agreed to use the official tariff rates.

He said the operators complained the recent tariff was insufficient for their operational costs including electricity and wages.

“Their complaints should not be a justification for violating  tariff regulations.

“They must obey the gubernatorial decree that stipulates the tariff,” he said.

He said the parking unit could not accommodate their request for raising the tariff, which was under the governor’s authority.        

During another meeting last week, a parking operator asked the city council to evaluate the parking rates stipulated in the 2004 gubernatorial decree.

“We asked for a tariff evaluation in 2006 to no avail,” said Toni, a representative from PT Securindo Packatama Indonesia, which operates the Secure Parking brand.   

According to the regulation, a parking fee inside buildings and multi-story parking lots for cars and minibuses is Rp 2,000 (US 21 cents) for the first hour and Rp 1,000 for each following hour.

The fare for buses is Rp 2,000 for the first hour and Rp 2,000 for each following hour, while motorcycles are charged Rp 750.

The parking units have received mounting complaints from the public regarding parking rates over the last two weeks.

Many shopping centers have applied tariffs twice as high as the official rates.

Benjamin said that he hoped the public could help monitor parking tariffs by reporting violation son the 24-hour hotline: 08118118999.