M

akassar: Realignment of unregistered taxi and shuttle services at the Sultan Hasanuddin international airport in Makassar, South Sulawesi, was strongly protested by drivers and transportation business owners.

In addition to staging a rally, they also marched to the South Sulawesi Legislative Council building to protest.

At least 100 unregistered taxi and shuttle drivers and business owners admitted they would suffer losses due to the prohibition of their cars from operating at the airport.

The ban, they said, would cost them their livelihoods because they had already paid what were in essence registration fees to state airport management company PT Angkasa Pura I, ranging from Rp 5 million (US$560) to
Rp 15 million annually.

Despite their complaints, PT Angkasa Pura I, which manages the airport in Makassar, made no response, as the ban was put in place primarily for the sake of passengers’ convenience.

“We have received many complaints from passengers due to the operation of the unregistered drivers — especially at the departure and arrival terminals,” general manager of PT Angkasa Pura I Syamsul Alam said on Tuesday.

In response to the customer complaints, the company decided to realign the unregistered taxi and shuttle services. Moreover, based on an evaluation report by the Indonesian National Air Carriers Association, Sultan Hasanuddin airport is still below standards, with a grade of only 3.6.

Syamsul said that transportation business at the airport were regulated under Law No. 1/2009. That regulation is used to realign transportation at the airport, he said.