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Ahok urges Transjakarta to purchase own buses
(Tribunnews
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(Tribunnews.com) (Tribunnews.com)
(Tribunnews.com)
Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama has urged city-owned PT Transportasi Jakarta (Transjakarta) to purchase its own buses following recent incidents involving the company's vehicles, including an articulated Transjakarta bus crashing into a commuter train in Kedoya, West Jakarta, allegedly due to the recklessness of the driver.
According to Ahok, Transjakarta cannot easily terminate its contracts with troubled bus operators, as such a move would disrupt the transportation system because of the limited number of buses.
"Why doesn't [Transjakarta] purchase its own buses? If [Transjakarta bus operators] were able to borrow [money from a bank], why can't [Transjakarta] do the same? We also have a bank and have the money," Ahok said at City Hall on Monday.
He added that the sanctions applied to long-term contracted operators were too light, and thus they continued to neglect vehicle management and maintenance.
Ahok also said that the city administration was set to evaluate Transjakarta's board of directors, especially regarding the slow progress of this year's bus procurement. The city was supposed to have thousands of new buses in 2015 to accommodate the current transportation system operated by Transjakarta.
"We will replace all [board members] if they can't [provide new buses] since we have 100 percent shares [in the company]," said Ahok.
He added that the city aimed to provide daily 24-hour Transjakarta services, even if it would need to allocate Rp 5 trillion (US$361.52 million) to subsidize costs for passengers.
"[We will do what is required] as long as passengers from Tangerang, Bekasi, Depok and other [regions] can use the buses affordably. If you live in Tangerang or Bekasi, you will only need to pay Rp 3,500 for a one-way trip and Rp 7,000 for a return trip per day, meaning we will be giving the subsidy to the right person," said Ahok. (kes)(+)
