Andreas D. Arditya, Jakarta – As the nation commemorated National Public Transportation Day on Tuesday, the city's commuters listed reasons why people keep shunning public transportation.

For many Jakartans, public transportation in the capital is the last resort: only for those who had no other option than to make their daily commute on public buses and trains.

College student Amalia Sekarjati, 21, who takes public buses daily, had several complaints about the substandard service. "During peak hours, the buses are filled to the brim with people; while in slow hours, they stop everywhere and for a long time to wait for passengers," Amalia told The Jakarta Post.

She hoped that the government regulations would make public busses more scheduled and organized, and thus more reliable.

Undhan Sevisari, 26, a resident of Klender, East Jakarta who commutes to her office on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta, said she tried coping with public transportation but could not stand it anymore.

"I've had it with mikrolet [public minivans] and Transjakarta buses. It takes too long to arrive at my office by mikrolet, and Transjakarta buses are too crowded," she said. Undhan said riding a motorcycle cut her commute by up to an hour.

Erni Harini, a 46-year-old businesswoman decided to move her office after growing tired of traffic congestion. Erni said that three years ago, it only took 45 minutes to reach her office in Pancoran, South Jakarta from Pondok Gede, East of Jakarta.

"Now it takes two hours, so I decided to move my office nearer to my and my employees' residences," she said. Erni said that she would not mind taking public transportations as long as it was safe, comfortable, and punctual.

Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) Jakarta branch head Tri Tjahjono said that although there were improvements in the city administration's handling of transportation issues in the city, such improvements were not enough to meet commuters' needs and demands.

"Failing to meet demand results in a downgrading in all sectors. Transjakarta buses, for example, are getting more and more crowded with longer and longer lines," Tri said.

He argued that the problem was rooted in the lack of a minimum standard of services for public transportation. "The buses are not punctual because they are not required to be so; passengers' complaints are useless," he said, urging the government to draft measurable standards and service benchmarks.

According to Tri, all modes of public transportation could be utilized to solve the traffic issues in Jakarta. "The government should revamp public minivans' routes and restrict their number, so they can support other modes of transportation like trains and Transjakarta buses," said Tri.

Tri also urged the Jakarta administration to improve the Transjakarta bus service's performance because it was the most feasible solution for Jakarta's congestion.

"The Mass Rapid Transit [MRT] system and facilities take a long time and take lots of money to implement. We still need Transjakarta buses for the next eight years," he said.

Soedirman, the head of Jakarta Branch of the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda), lamented that the government never paid serious attention to developing public transportation, referring to the fact that many public vehicles did not meet safety standards.

Soedirman, whose organization represents the owners of public minivans and buses, urged the administration to raise public transportation fares or give subsidies to public minivans and buses. He argued that the present tariffs were "unrealistically low", putting heavy burden on public transportation owners.

Low fares and the government's reluctance to provide subsidies, Soedirman said, contributed to the low quality of public transportation in the city as public transportation owners were struggling to cope with their vehicles' maintenance costs.

Jakarta Transportation Agency chief Udar Pristono said that the city had proposed a plan to revitalize the city's public transportation management.

"We are asking the Transportation Ministry to issue stricter regulations on public transport management. It's impossible to have good management of public transport with the existing regulations," Udar said.

The agency chief explained that the majority of public transport vehicles, like mikrolet or mini-buses, were not managed under a single company. "Mikrolet vans serving the same route are owned by dozens of different people. They are grouped under a cooperative, not a company."

The city expected that through a new regulation, vehicle owners would be forced to consolidate and establish a professional company. (cor/sat)