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s a regular user of commuter trains, I was among those who were extremely shocked by the fatal crash involving a commuter train and a gasoline tanker that killed seven people and wounded dozens of others on Monday.

About an hour before the accident, I was sitting in a train carriage passing along the same section of track that was later the scene of the appalling incident. Television news reports later in the day showed the gas tanker engulfed in a fireball next to the train'€™s front car.

Listening to eyewitness accounts the day after the accident, I could feel the panic that must have been evident inside the women-only coach, as its occupants viewed the fire raging just outside their windows.

'€œThe flames were shooting up outside the window where I was sitting. Women with their children were trying to escape, crying hysterically when they saw the fire,'€ one of the survivors, who was inside the second car at the time of the accident, said. Another passenger said some people managed to open the door of their car, but many were afraid to jump as the ground lay a full 2.5 meters below them. Several people did make the attempt but ended up injuring their legs.

A few days later and the accident is naturally still a central topic of conversation among Jakarta'€™s train passengers. Some women said they would never occupy the front coach of a commuter train again. Many others, however, have not been deterred; the women-only car are full again.

Despite the accident, trains are still a safer means of transportation than road-based public transportation systems; and safer also than driving private cars and motorcycles. But such an accident can, of course, happen again at any time, as long as motorists persist in slipping past the train crossings although the barrier is closing.

National Police Traffic Corps data reveals that in 2012, accidents involving motorcycles accounted for 94 percent of all road accidents. In the same year, there were only three train accidents.

On a day-to-day basis, however, poor service standards remain the primary concern among commuter train users, rather than the possibility of accidents. As in several other countries, we commuters find ourselves in overcrowded cars, particularly during the morning and evening peak travel hours.

One day, a woman inside a mixed gender car cried out, '€œPlease help me get out of here. I can'€™t stand it, I can'€™t breathe!'€ Another passenger told a friend via his cell phone that he was inside '€œa sardine can'€ in trying to describe his predicament.

It is still bearable if the air-conditioning works well. Regrettably, however, they often don'€™t, and passengers are forced to open the windows for air. Another problem is when trains are delayed due to various malfunctions, including signaling breakdowns, which are all too common. Apart from having to breathe in humid air, many passengers have to bear stiffness in their legs from having to stand up for long periods.

To be fair, a new company was established by state-owned railway operator PT KAI to cater to commuter trains. Greater Jakarta'€™s PT Commuter Jabodetabek has introduced some improvements. It has been trying to meet minimum service standards by installing air-conditioners in all cars, including economy ones, and by clearing coaches of vendors, beggars and buskers (though many still remain). But the most important thing is to deploy more car to deal with the increasing number of passengers.

Unfortunately, demand is always much higher than supply. More and more motorists have shifted to using commuter trains, as seen by the full parking lots by the stations.

As a matter of fact, soon after the railway operator introduced its service improvements, there was a period when traveling by commuter train was enjoyable; especially following the arrival of more second-hand cars from Japan. But it did not last long. People from all walks of life can now afford to pay the train fares starting at only Rp 2,000 (US 17 cents), down from Rp 8,000 following the disbursement of taxpayers'€™ money to subsidize train users in compensation for the fuel-price hike. The sardine can is now even worse as train cars are even more overcrowded.

Despite all these shortcomings, however, commuter trains are still the first choice for many people living in Jakarta'€™s satellite cities of Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi.

However, many motorists have said they gave up driving to work because of the worsening traffic congestion in the capital, not because they were happy with train services. '€œIt'€™s crazy that I have to drive for two to three hours to reach the office compared to less than half an hour by train'€ said one regular passenger living in South Tangerang.

One of PT Commuter Jabodetabek'€™s new policies requires a station staff member to greet arriving passengers with the announcement: '€œThank you for your trust in using the commuter train'€. In response, one passenger said, '€œNo, I am forced to ride the train because there is no other alternative'€.

So how can PT Commuter Jabodetabek improve their services to ensure customer satisfaction among its passengers while, at the same time, trying to reach its target of 1.2 million passengers by 2019 from the current figure of about 500,000? Could it double the number of cars to meet the target? And how about the signaling system that forces a train to stay longer in one station while it waits for another train to reach the next station.

While the company works on finding answers to these questions, its passengers are forced to be more patient in their wait for significant improvements in the commuter train service.

The author is a staff writer at The Jakarta Post.