Courier businesses are preparing a number of actions, ranging from conducting hearings with the city administration, staging protests and withholding services to providing electric bicycles to its couriers, to anticipate the upcoming restriction of motorcycles from main thoroughfares in the capital city.

Express Couriers Association of Indonesia (Asperindo) chairman M. Kadrial said on Tuesday that the association would keep trying to lobby the administration to grant an exception for their couriers. The police, he said, would severely affect the business of their members, most of whom were small and medium enterprises.

'€œOur business is time sensitive. We have to bear the consequences if the documents and the packages are late,'€ he said, adding that the business transactions of companies around the streets in question might be affected as well.

At least 15,000 couriers work for the 190 companies belonging to Asperindo. Most of the couriers deliver documents and packages in business districts by driving motorcycles.

Starting Wednesday, the city administration will conduct a one-month trial restricting motorcyclists from passing down Jl. MH Thamrin and Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta. Both streets were chosen in line with the city'€™s plan to impose an electronic road pricing (ERP) toll system on the capital'€™s main streets.

In order to reach their destinations, motorcyclists can take alternative roads. They still can cross both streets just like with the three-in-one traffic system. The administration claimed that it had provided parking spaces by 12 buildings along the roads that can accommodate 6,528 motorcycles

If the pilot project succeeds, the same restrictions will be implemented on more thoroughfares, including Jl. Gatot Subroto and Jl. HR Rasuna Said in South Jakarta.

Asperindo secretariat general Amir Syarifuddin said his association had sent a number of letters to the administration, requesting a hearing. '€œWe had arranged a meeting with the Transportation Agency several times, but they always canceled the meeting,'€ he said.

They also tried to reach Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama, but to no avail.

'€œWe will keep trying. However, if we still get no response, we will take other action,'€ he said, hinting that they would stage a protest.

Meanwhile, Asperindo member Edwardsyah of logistics company PT Dinamika Lintas Buana (DLB) planned to cease his company'€™s courier services to the companies in the restricted areas.

'€œWe do not have access to reach the buildings. Why should we open for business there?'€ he said, adding that public transportation was not a possible option because it was unsafe for packages.

Meanwhile, JNE marketing director Mohamad Feriadi said his company would try to resolve the problem by providing a bigger number of electric bicycles for their couriers in the Sudirman business district.

Ahok reiterated that no motorcycles could pass along the roads. '€œThey [couriers with motorcycles] cannot pass on the roads: just use the alternative roads,'€ he said.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said the police, assisted by the Transportation Agency and the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), were ready to enforce the program by deploying 50 personnel.

 '€œWe will raise the motorcyclists'€™ awareness of this program for the next month and we will not ticket them during that period,'€ he said, adding that the program would be applied 24 hours a day without any exception, including weekends.

'€” Indra Budiari also contributed to this story.