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Accidents raise concern over public transportation safety in Jakarta
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Mask-wearing passengers ride a Transjakarta bus on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta on April 6, 2020. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
A
pair of accidents involving a trial run of Greater Jakarta LRT trains and, separately, two Transjakarta buses has spotlighted safety concerns over public transportation in Jakarta, just as the hustle and bustle of Indonesia's capital returns following a drop in COVID-19 cases.
The first accident happened on Monday morning at Cawang Ciliwung Transjakarta bus stop on Jl. MT Haryono in East Jakarta. A bus arriving at the stop crashed into the back of another bus that was in the process of dropping off passengers.
The driver of the arriving bus and a passenger died at the scene, while 37 others suffered minor and major injuries.
Jakarta Police traffic unit law enforcement head Adj. Sr. Comr. Argo Wiyono said the preliminary investigation revealed that the bus was traveling at around 55 kilometers per hour before the collision happened and it showed no signs of slowing down.
"We found no skid marks leading up to the scene of the crash to indicate braking. The driver of the moving bus just went straight into the other bus that was unloading passengers and dragged it 17 meters along the road," Argo said on Monday as reported by kompas.com.
He added that a more thorough investigation was under way to determine the exact cause of the accident and whether it was caused by human error or mechanical failure.
Read also: Greater Jakarta LRT to continue trials despite ongoing crash probe
