Nurni Sulaiman – Some 1,500 public minivan drivers staged a rally in front of the Balikpapan legislative council Monday in opposition to the municipality administration's plan to operate 20 buses as part of a mass public transportation service.

The 20 buses, which are scheduled to go into operation next month, were gifted by the central government to Balikpapan – which is known as the "Fuel City" of East Kalimantan – as a prize for it winning the 2008 Wahana Tata Nugraha Award.

The demonstrators urged the administration and the council to cancel the proposed bus service and to dissolve the Balikpapan Public Transportation Means Communication Forum.

"Currently, minivan drivers face difficulties in earning money. If the buses are operated, what will happen to our lives then," Jamal, one of the demonstrators said during the rally, which caused traffic congestion along Jl. Jenderal Sudirman for two hours.

The head of the Balikpapan Transportation Agency, Kadarsyah, said his office together with the administration and the council were still analyzing the feasibility of the proposed bus service.

"So, it's not a 100 percent sure thing," he said.

The council's chairman, Andi Burhanuddin Solong, said he had not yet received a draft for the bus service plan.

"The council has yet to receive the draft of the plan to operate the buses as mass transportation. So, we have not been assured yet when the program will go ahead," he added.