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span class="inline inline-left">Transjakarta Bus Rapid Transit (BLU), the operator of the busway public transportation network, is expected to conduct a thorough evaluation of its drivers following a series of fatal accidents in the
bus lanes.

Chief of BLU’s management body Muhammad Akbar said on Tuesday that BLU was designing a system under which drivers would be assessed on a daily basis, which would later be bundled into a monthly review.

“Bad reports about them will surely end in their dismissal,” Akbar said.

There have been more fatalities in accidents involving Transjakarta buses this year compared to last year, although there have been fewer accidents.

The BLU recorded 16 fatalities in accidents between January and October this year, compared to 13 over the same period last year. So far, the company has recorded 101 accidents, far lower than the 399 accidents involving Transjakarta buses last year.

Eighteen people were severely injured and 67 others suffered minor injuries in all accidents recorded this year.

On Tuesday, a 72-year-old man identified as Arman Gunawan died after being hit by a Transjakarta bus while crossing a busway lane in Bukit Duri, East Jakarta. The victim was admitted at a local hospital before he died.

The bus driver is now in police detention.

Akbar said that the BLU would fire the driver if he was proven guilty of negligence.

“The BLU will rely on the police investigation,” he said.

Akbar said that some drivers were reckless and had a penchant for speeding. “But there are many more drivers who operate the vehicles according to our standards and regulations,” he said.

Akbar said that Transjakarta would set higher standards for hiring new drivers. The company has also announced it will increase drivers’ salaries to 3.5 times more than the provincial minimum wage.

The minimum wage in Jakarta is currently Rp 1.3 million (US$147) per month. If the plan goes through, Transjakarta drivers would receive around Rp 4,450,000 per month.

Akbar said that the pay rise would give drivers incentives to be responsible.

Last week, Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo called for an evaluation of the safety measures applied by the BLU and suggested that the firm hire a third-party firm to conduct routine checks on its buses.

The governor requested that the BLU tighten the monitoring of its vehicles, and establish a special task unit to conduct routine checks.

The Jakarta Transportation Agency is also planning to build higher lane dividers to prevent private vehicles from entering Transjakarta’s dedicated bus lanes.