W

ary of the dangers of riding the city’s public transportation system at night, some companies are following the law and providing after-hours rides home for their women employees.

Dwi Tupani, who works for a media company that operates around the clock, said she was always driven home by a company car at the end of her shift.

“My shift ends at 1 a.m. A company driver and car are always ready to take me and my colleagues home,” she said.

The late-night service was the only guarantee that she could arrive home safely, Dwi said — something that would be questionable if she took a taxi or public transportation.

Other than the late-night service, her employer also provided free rides to Cawang, East Jakarta, for all men and women employees who left the office at 10 p.m., Dwi said.

Several companies that require women employees to work late into the night, such as in the hotel and entertainment sectors, offer late-night rides.

Romy Herlambang, a spokesman for the Hotel Mulia in Senayan, South Jakarta, said that the hotel sent drivers to pick up all its women employees who worked overnight shift.

“As required by the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI), we must pick up and take women workers home if they work after midnight,” Romy said.

Shifts for employees at the Mulia Hotel run from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Bartenders typically worked later, with some shifts ending at 1 a.m, Romy said.

The Inul Vizta chain of family karaoke lounges offers a similar service to its employees, some of whom end their shifts early in the morning.

Fitri Astuti, a representative of Inul Vizta’s franchise in the Sarinah shopping center in Central Jakarta, said the company offered late-night rides to its women employees, even though many lived nearby.

“Most of our employees who live in Kebayoran use the late-night ride service. But those who live nearby can always catch a ride, too,” she said.

According to the Labor Law, employer must provide shuttle service for women who work the night shift to ensure their safety.

A ministerial decree released in 2003 also stipulated that employers must provide rides to and from work for women employees who work between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Employers must ensure that pick-up and drop-off points are accessible and safe under the regulation.

The vehicles used must also be registered to the employers, to prevent employers from contracting out the service.

However, neither regulation provides sanctions for employers who fail to comply. Residents of Jakarta have been stunned by the separate gang rapes of two women on public transportation minivans.

In August, a 21-year-old Bina Nusantara University student, Livia Pavita Soelistio, was raped and murdered after taking a public transportation minivan to her campus in West Jakarta.

In the second incident, a 27-year-old woman was raped by four men inside a minivan plying the Srengseng-Kebon Jeruk route on Sept. 1.

The rapists reportedly stole the woman’s cell phones before dumping her on a quiet street.