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Thousands of passengers stuck as ‘angkot’ drivers strike
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Tension in the air: Policemen watch traffic on Jl. Jamin Ginting, as drivers of public minivans begin to gather for a demonstration against app-based transportation providers in Medan, North Sumatra, on Wednesday. (JP/Apriadi Gunawan)
A
strike by drivers of public minivans, or angkot, in Medan, North Sumatra, caused chaos on Wednesday and left thousands of passengers, including students, stranded across the city.
The mood turned violent when the striking angkot drivers vented their anger at drivers of app-based taxis carrying passengers on Jl. Setia Budi. They blocked the vehicles and forced the passengers to get out, causing quarrels between the two camps.
They almost got into physical fights, before dozens of police officers arrived and forced them to disperse.
Rido Butar-Butar, a resident of Amplas, said many city residents were late for work or school because of the strike held by the public minivan drivers. He said the strike was driven by the angkok drivers and business interests, while those suffering were all of the city residents.
“We want them to stop the strike,” Rido told The Jakarta Post after he had quarreled with several public minivan drivers at the Amplas intersection in Medan.
Medan Police and Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) personnel were deployed to take care of the stranded passengers.
North Sumatra Police operational division head Adj.Sr.Comr. D.Sembiring said 700 police officers had been deployed to anticipate any potential chaos.
The chairman of the Medan chapter of the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda), Montgomeri Munthe, said around 15,000 drivers had taken part in the strike.
He said the strike was aimed at forcing local authorities to enforce regulations on online taxis, especially regarding fares, as stipulated in Transportation Ministry Regulation No. 108/2017. (ami/ebf)
