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View all search resultsBlame game after Metro Mini collision
Still operating: A lady sits on a Metro Mini public bus, whose interior looks like a damaged vehicle at a repair shop, at the Blok M bus terminal in Jakarta, on Monday
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Still operating: A lady sits on a Metro Mini public bus, whose interior looks like a damaged vehicle at a repair shop, at the Blok M bus terminal in Jakarta, on Monday. The Transportation Ministryâs local office conducted an operation on Monday to check the roadworthiness of all public transportation vehicles.(JP/Seto Wardhana) (JP/Seto Wardhana)
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span class="caption">Still operating: A lady sits on a Metro Mini public bus, whose interior looks like a damaged vehicle at a repair shop, at the Blok M bus terminal in Jakarta, on Monday. The Transportation Ministry's local office conducted an operation on Monday to check the roadworthiness of all public transportation vehicles.(JP/Seto Wardhana)
The Jakarta administration and Metro Mini minibus owners have started a blame game after a recent collision between a commuter train and a Metro Mini over the weekend, bringing also to attention the lack of law enforcement and coordination between and within the city and bus owners.
Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama said that to improve the city's public transportation, he launched last year a public transportation revitalization program. Under the program, all public minibus and minivan owners must procure new buses and improve their services to fulfill requirements to operate under the coordination of city-owned bus operator PT Transportasi Jakarta (Transjakarta).
Metro Mini owner Azas Tigor Nainggolan, who is also an activist with the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta), said that several Metro Mini owners had agreed to join Transjakarta, as the move would be financially beneficial for them.
'We want to join Transjakarta. In fact, we are ready to do so. Most of us are looking forward to it. A number of Metro Mini owners have applied for loans at banks to begin procuring new buses to meet Transjakarta's standards,' Tigor said over the phone on Monday.
To operate under Transjakarta, buses must have air conditioning, GPS and automatic doors, among many other requirements. Tigor, however, said that the Jakarta Transportation Agency had thus far not facilitated bus owners who sought to join Transjakarta's management.
'The transportation agency as a regulator can force bus owners to join Transjakarta to improve public transportation in Jakarta. If the owners refuse then the agency can revoke their permit. However, the agency has thus far done nothing,' Tigor said.
Yoga Adiwinarto from the Institute of Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) said the city administration could force those who refused to join by revoking their permits.
Ahok instead placed blame on Metromini for its internal problems, which he said had hampered it from joining Transjakarta.
'Metromini already has internal problems. It doesn't have a legal entity and is managed by individuals, which makes it very complicated. Not all owners want to operate under the management of Transjakarta. Meanwhile, Transjakarta is also incompetent in carrying out the public transportation revitalization. There has barely been any progress,' Ahok said.
Most public transportation vehicles in Jakarta are owned privately by hundreds of individuals and small firms who hire drivers. The drivers are required to pay a setoran (sum of money) to the operators each day and may take home the money they make after the minimum amount is fulfilled.
The accident involving a commuter train and a Metro Mini that killed 18 of the bus' passengers in Tambora, West Jakarta, over the weekend was caused by the reckless driving of the Metro Mini driver, who drove through a railroad crossing despite the gate being closed.
President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo had instructed the Transportation Ministry to coordinate with Ahok on efforts to improve the competency of public transportation drivers, Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan said.
'But I want to discuss the matter further so that Metro Mini drivers become more disciplined. [I also want] a discussion on a permanent solution to such [railroad] crossings,' he said.
Jonan said he had issued a ministerial regulation on minimum service requirements for public transportation that ordered drivers to obey road rules and take a 30-minute break after four hours of driving.
The regulation also requires all public transportation vehicles, including buses, to install safety equipment on board, for example emergency hammers, automatic door activation buttons and fire extinguishers.
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