Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – The Jakarta administration's efforts to implement a smoking ban on public transportation since 2005 seems to have gone up in smoke, as a recent survey by the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) reveals a high percentage of violations.
The survey, in early to mid-July, showed violations in 89 percent of 549 public buses and minivans in the city's five municipalities.
YLKI's coordinator Tulus Abadi said Thursday the survey involved 226 mikrolet (minivans), 206 Metromini and Kopaja minibuses and 117 regular buses. YLKI said during the survey, the vehicles were, on average, half occupied by passengers.
Interviewers got on the buses and held 10-minute interviews with passengers, he said. "We found 807 people smoking in 482 out of 549 public vehicles, or about 89 percent [of vehicles]."
He said violators were found in 86 percent of mikrolet, 87 percent of regular buses, 90 percent of Metrominis and 91 percent of Kopaja buses.
Out of the 807 violators caught smoking in vehicles, 348 were drivers, 320 passengers and 139 were drivers' assistants.
"Seventy six percent of the violators said they smoked inside public transportation vehicles despite the ban because they were addicted, while 24 percent said it was because there were no officials that would crack down on them," Tulus said, adding some violators were actually aware of the smoking ban.
The city administration began introducing smoke-free zones in 2005 to effect implementation of a gubernatorial regulation issued that year. Absolute smoke-free zones include public transportation, health-care buildings, schools, children's areas and places of worship.
The rules say people can still smoke in parts of public places and offices but only in designated areas.
Last year, YLKI and the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) held a similar survey targeting offices of the city administration and central government, and found that 45 percent of violators were civil servants.
He said YLKI chose public transportation as the target for this year's survey after finding out that 70 percent out of 1,000 respondents surveyed by the foundation last year complained about smokers on public transportation systems.
In 2006, Fakta surveyed 60 malls in the city and found violations in 50 percent of them.
Tulus said the survey results showed the smoking ban "requires stricter monitoring, not only from the city officials, but also from the public." "Therefore, the administration should facilitate the public to report if they find smokers in prohibited places," he said.
T.R, Panjaitan of the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) said the organization and the Transportation Agency had once put "no-smoking" stickers in public transport vehicles, but the stickers disappeared just days later.