T

hirty Transjakarta buses procured from Chinese company Yutong in 2013 have been suspended after one of the buses caught fire on Thursday morning. No one was injured in the incident.

City-owned rapid transit bus operator PT Transjakarta president director ANS Kosasih said that the company'€™s mechanics were investigating the incident, as well as another 29 buses procured at the same time.

'€œThe buses have only operated since early this year but we want to check all of the buses just to make sure. We suspect that the fire was caused by a short circuit, but we have to wait for a thorough investigation by relevant authorities,'€ Kosasih told reporters at City Hall.

He shrugged off speculation that the fire was caused by an engine explosion.

The suspension of the remaining 29 buses would affect Transjakarta services in the next few days, he added.

'€œWe apologize for any inconvenience. The suspension will extend the headway. We hope that the investigation will be completed by the end of the week,'€ he said.

He also stressed that the buses underwent regular checkups.

To improve safety, Kosasih said the newly-established company aimed to redesign its bus pool and depot.

'€œWe aim to integrate the repairing center, the CNG refueling facility and the car wash facilities in one depot,'€ he said.

Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Rikwanto stated that a Transjakarta bus had caught fire at the Masjid Agung Al-Azhar stop on Jl. Sisimangaraja, South Jakarta, on Thursday morning.

'€œThe fire was caused by an electrical short-circuit in the rear engine,'€ he said at the Jakarta Police headquarters in South Jakarta, adding that the fire had also damaged the busway stop, rendering it unusable.

Two fire engines extinguished the fire, Rikwanto added, with all twenty passengers evacuated safely and uninjured.

Transjakarta spokesperson Sri Ulina Pinem revealed that the company had yet to determine the cause of the incident, explaining that the bus driver, Wesleder Hutahuruk, heard an explosion at the back of the bus when it stopped at the Masjid Agung Al-Azhar busway stop to drop off passengers. Wesleder went to examine what he thought was a burst tire, only to discover smoke pouring from the engine. Despite his efforts to put out the fire with an onboard fire-extinguisher, the fire grew bigger and the passengers had to be evacuated, she said.

Ulina acknowledged that the incident was not unprecedented.

'€œThis is the second incident this year and I hope that our customers are not discouraged. We are dedicated to investigating such issues,'€ she said.

A Transjakarta bus caught fire on Jl. Gadjah Mada in Central Jakarta on Feb. 18. No one was hurt in this incident. (fss)