T

he auction for new Transjakarta bus operators will go on despite protests from existing operators who fear losing their routes.

“There has been no change in the auction process and the schedule remains the same. It will go on even though some operators have decided not to participate,” Transjakarta management body (BLU) chief Muhammad Akbar said as reported by kompas.com on Tuesday.

Some companies participating in the auction for corridors I, II, and III have now entered the prequalification phase, which is open to any company that would like to take part in the auction, including existing companies.

According to Akbar, the auction mechanism has been decided by Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and aims to choose the best and qualified operators.

Earlier, four Transjakarta busway operators, PT Trans Batavia, PT Jakarta Trans Metropolitan, PT Jakarta Mega Trans and PT Trans Mayapada Busway, planned to file lawsuit against the city administration for putting out to tender seven busway corridors that they had operated since 2003.

Their lawyer, Otto Hasibuan, said that the four operators refused to join the auction because they claimed that Gubernatorial Decree No. 173/2010 on tendering for Transjakarta buses and operations, a legal basis for the auction, was against Articles 158 and 159 of Law No. 22/2009, which stipulates that such tenders must be regulated by a transportation ministerial decree.