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Metromini in Ahok's sights after second fatal crash
Officers evacuate a Metromini bus hit by a train at the Angke level crossing in West Jakarta on Dec
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Officers evacuate a Metromini bus hit by a train at the Angke level crossing in West Jakarta on Dec. 6. Eighteen people died when the bus, en route from Kalideres to Jembatan Lima, attempted to cross the tracks after the barrier had come down. (Antara/Rivan Awal Lingga) (Antara/Rivan Awal Lingga)
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span class="inline inline-center">Officers evacuate a Metromini bus hit by a train at the Angke level crossing in West Jakarta on Dec. 6. Eighteen people died when the bus, en route from Kalideres to Jembatan Lima, attempted to cross the tracks after the barrier had come down. (Antara/Rivan Awal Lingga)
Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama has promised to come down hard on Metromini public buses in the wake of another deadly crash.
"I have told [owners and drivers] that we act without mercy. We will arrest them [if they cause crashes]," he told journalists at the Senayan Indoor Tennis Court on Wednesday.
His remarks came after a Metromini bus B92 serving Ciledug to Grogol hit two pedestrians, Muntiarsih, 35, and her son, Azam Flamboyan, 7, in Meruya, West Jakarta, on Wednesday morning. Azam was killed on the spot while Muntiarsih was seriously injured.
Police have arrested the driver and named him a suspect in light of reports that the bus was speeding and had faulty brakes.
Ahok focused his ire on the bus' owner, who, he said, was responsible for ensuring the vehicle was in a safe condition and for maintaining discipline among drivers.
Wednesday's accident came hot on the heels of a crash earlier this month when a bus collided with a commuter train after it attempted to cross a level crossing after the barrier had descended. The crash killed 18 people, including the driver, and brought about a fresh chorus of calls for an overhaul of the city's public transportation.
Yoga Winarto, country director at the Institute for Transportation & Developement Policy (ITDP), urged the Jakarta administration to bring all public buses under the management of city-owned transportation company Transjakarta, integrating them with the Transjakarta Bus Rapid Transit System, popularly known as the Busway.
"The city administration needs to take over public transportation as soon as possible, especially Metromini, which has reached a critical level," Yoga said in a press statement.
He urged Ahok to be firm and suspend the permits of public transportation companies that refused to merge with Transjakarta.
Separately, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian urged Ahok to issue a gubernatorial decree standardizing recruitment requirements for drivers of public vehicles, especially minimum education standards, which he claimed could affect driving skills.
"It should be a minimum requirement to have graduated from junior or senior high school," Tito said as quoted by kompas.com.
He added that drivers should also have to pass a psychological test and hold a valid driver's license. (rin)(+)
