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Gas tank explosion marks another bad day
Reckless driving by its bus drivers that have led to numerous deaths, gas tank explosions and the use of its exclusive lanes by private cars are just some of the many problems currently besetting the Transjakarta busway transit system, launched in 2004 by then governor Sutiyoso as a stopgap measure before the Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) could be built
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em>Reckless driving by its bus drivers that have led to numerous deaths, gas tank explosions and the use of its exclusive lanes by private cars are just some of the many problems currently besetting the Transjakarta busway transit system, launched in 2004 by then governor Sutiyoso as a stopgap measure before the Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) could be built. The Jakarta Post’s, Novia D. Rulistia takes a closer look at how Transjakarta operates. This is the first in a three-part series.
The gas tank of a Transjakarta bus exploded on Thursday morning when it was refueling at the Pinang Ranti gas station, East Jakarta. The blast injured two drivers, Malinda and Yusak, and a gas station officer, Sugianto.
The explosion destroyed the bus, breaking its doors, windows and a gas pump unit in the process.
Out of action: A Transjakarta bus stands idle at a gas station in Pinang Ranti, East Jakarta, on Thursday. Three people were injured when the bus exploded while refueling at the gas station. The explosion added to a long list of problems that have recently beset Transjakarta’s service. JP/Wendra Ajistyatama
Transjakarta Bus Rapid Transit management body (BLU) chief Muhammad Akbar said that no passengers were injured in the incident as buses were not allowed to carry passengers during refueling.
He also said that the incident would not disrupt gas distribution and the operations of Transjakarta. “We have sent the buses to refill at other fuel stations,” Akbar said, adding that the Pinang Ranti gas station, which served a total of 60 buses plying the Corridor 9 route, would be closed until the completion of a police investigation.
Gas refueling for Transjakarta was moved to gas stations in Daan Mogot, West Jakarta, Kampung Rambutan and Jl. Pemuda in East Jakarta and Pancoran, South Jakarta. The Pinang Ranti shelter was temporarily closed while Transjakarta continued to serve passengers using the route until the Tamini shelter.
The incident represented another bad development for Transjakarta, as it struggles to improve its service for its passengers.
Many surveys have found that most Transjakarta passengers strongly disliked waiting for the bus during peak hours.
Otto Ferdinand, a regular user of Corridor 6, which connects Ragunan and Kuningan, said that he was really upset because he’d had to wait too long while he was in a hurry. “I just don’t like it when I have to wait for the bus for more than 30 minutes during peak hours, while buses heading in the opposite direction are arriving every two minutes. That makes the bus and the shelter uncomfortable, too crowded.”
Besides the long wait at the shelter, Otto was also disappointed with what he viewed as Transjakarta’s outdated bus fleet, with poor air conditioning, rain leaking through roofs of buses and creaking sounds on the floor of the bus when it was crowded.
“I really wish that operators will fix these problems immediately, because Transjakarta can actually be a better alternative of public transportation when compared to public minivans,” he said.
A similar opinion is also shared by another Transjakarta commuter, Ria Putri, who thinks that it is time to add more buses to accommodate the increasing number of passengers.
“During peak hours, in some corridors people are being crammed into buses. That’s just cruel,” she said.
She also said that because the automatic doors at stations were often broken, this placed passengers at risk of falling, because during peak hours passengers pushed to the edge of the terminal’s platform while others jostled for position behind.
However, she is convinced that it will become a form of reliable public transport if the management and maintenance of the system can be greatly improved. “Basically, I think that many Jakartans are tired of driving cars because of the traffic. Transjakarta plays a great role here by providing a service that is quite comfortable,” Ria said.
Passengers complaining about the poor quality in service can also be heard on Transjakarta’s online forum, Suara Transjakarta (Voice of Transjakarta), where passengers do not only share the problems that they encounter everyday on Transjakarta’s buses, such as the dirty shelters, unfriendly officers, broken doors and broken speaker systems in the buses, but also passengers appreciate the good elements of Transjakarta’s service.
Passengers have written about the newly launched feeder system that is seen to be able to attract more people, informative electronic boards and good management demonstrated in controlling the queuing system.
A survey of passenger satisfaction conducted by the Indonesian Consumers Protection Foundation (YLKI) in 2010 found that only 50 percent of respondents said that they were satisfied with the overall service.
