Jakarta, March 23 (Antara) - The government is expected to prepare new regulations on public transportation in response to protests by conventional taxi drivers on Tuesday against online application-based taxi services.
The presence of online transportation services, which are believed to be operating illegally and disadvantaging conventional services, has triggered concern among public transportation companies.
The online transportation services are considered to have affected the livelihood of the drivers working for non-online transportation companies as they have reduced the number of passengers who usually use non-online transportation modes.
As the online-based taxis operate as a means of public transportation without licenses, they are viewed as illegal, paying no taxes and other levies required by the government.
Thus, with the advancements in online technology, they are able to offer cheaper fares to passengers.
Therefore, the government needs to reorganize and implement a fair public transportation system by taking into account the progress made in the field of technology.
"The government needs to regulate how the cost structure of conventional transportation could be lowered to make it competitive and at par with online-based services," businessman Rhenaldi Kasali remarked in a talk show on TVOne on Wednesday morning.
He pointed out that technology had grown rapidly by some 700 percent and had affects all sectors. This also brings fortune to e-commerce, but sales in other conventional sectors such as malls and restaurants have dropped.
Thus, reorganization is needed to solve the problems, which have emerged due to the advancements in technology, particularly in the area of online application-based transportation services.
Legislator Anang Hermansyah of the National Mandate Party (PAN) affirmed that the government should prepare regulations regarding online application-based transportation services.
"The online-based transportation phenomenon should have been regulated by the government since the beginning. Unfortunately, the government did not respond to the new development since the onset," Anang noted in response to the rallies held by non-online taxi drivers on Tuesday.
The demonstration on Tuesday turned violent and anarchic, leading the police to detain 83 demonstrators. Some vehicles were also damaged.
Anang remarked that the online transportation service is the outcome of the creativity of the younger generation in the field of digital technology, which should be lauded and be supported by a good regulation.
Thousands of drivers rallied in front of the office of the Ministry of Communication and Informatics in Central Jakarta on Tuesday, demanding the blocking of online transportation service applications.
The drivers began congregating in front of the office at 1 p.m. local time, with their vehicles, including taxis, three-wheeled cabs known locally as "bajaj", vans, and and minibuses being parked at the Monas Square nearby.
The taxi drivers taking to the streets of Jakarta have brought certain parts of the capital city to a standstill as they stopped their cars on some main roads.
The drivers staging the rally believe that the private cars offering smartphone application-based taxi services are not a business entity, which are subject to tax regulations and obligated to undergo the vehicle road worthiness tests (KIR).
Some demonstrators stopped taxis that had continued to operate and forced their passengers to leave. Some taxis that continued to operate during the demonstration had also been vandalized. A metro-mini bus was damaged, and rocks were found nearby. "We were attacked just now in Semanggi area," the metro-mini driver revealed.
Last week, the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda), Jakarta branch office, urged the regional government of Jakarta to shut down the online transportation services in the capital city, such as GrabCar and Uber taxi services.
"The application-based transportation services, such as GrabCar and Uber, are operating illegally," Shafruan Sinungan, head of Organda in Jakarta, stated on Tuesday.
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has ordered that the conflict between online application-based and conventional taxi services be resolved in a fair manner.
The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Luhut Binsar Pandjaita, who made this announcement at his office on Tuesday, said, "The President has ordered the evaluation of the issue so that a fair settlement could be reached."
He said that both sides, namely the online app-based transportation services and conventional taxis, must be dealt with equitably.
"Both conventional and online app-based taxi services should equally enjoy fair treatment," remarked Luhut. Both will have to abide by requirements such as permits and will have to pay taxes.
Meanwhile, Vice President Jusuf Kalla (JK) said all kinds of transportation services, whether online application-based or conventional, must be registered.
"All public transportation services, including (online-based and) conventional motorcycle taxis, must be registered. They should also pass through a test and provide security (for their passengers)," the vice president noted while speaking at his office on Tuesday last week.
Jusuf Kalla made the remarks while commenting on the online application-based public transportation services, particularly the GrabCar taxi (headquartered in Malaysia) and Uber taxi ( headquartered in California).
He said there are two things that we have to pay heed to, namely safeguarding people's interest in transportation facility and the development of technology.
"Both conventional and online services are concerned with small people. Drivers of cab taxi, Gojek motorcycle taxi and Grabtaxi all come from the small people bracket," Jusuf Kalla said.
The second is that technology is advancing rapidly and nothing can stop it.
"Technology leads to efficiency. We have to remember that this does not concern transportation only. If you want to eat 'martabak', (thick folded crepe filled with spices and pieces of meat) you can order it online," he said.***2***(A014/INE)EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/F. Assegaf) 23-03-2016 14:06:3 |
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