Jakarta, March 16 (Antara) - The government is unlikely to block online application-based taxi services as demanded by the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda), which considers their operation as illegal and disadvantaging the livelihood of conventional taxi drivers.
"We may not shut down their internet-based applications. The problems must be solved. After all, they are now in the process of obtaining licenses from the Ministry of Transportation. This is not a matter of blocking them. Technology is a neutral problem, so we should find a win-win solution," Minister of Communications and Informatics Rudiantara noted in a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He emphasized that the route service licenses of online-based taxi services need to be improved. Hence, the Ministry of Communications and Informatics has to study the problem.
"We have to find a solution to the problem, so that it could be settled in the near future," Minister Rudiantara affirmed.
The Organda branch office in Jakarta has 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.
Sinungan noted that the presence of the two online services has had an impact on the survival of non-online public transportation services in Jakarta, stressing that application-based services should be banned.
"The presence of the online services has triggered concern among public transportation companies and has affected the livelihood of drivers working for non-online transportation services. It has also reduced the number of passengers who usually use the services of non-online transportation modes," noted Shafruan.
On Monday, Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan wrote a letter to Communications and Informatics Minister Rudiantara, urging him to block the applications being used by the online-based transportation services.
Minister Jonan sent the letter as he believed that the online application-based transportation services violated Law No. 22 of 2009 on Traffic and Land Transportation.
Minister Rudiantara said on Tuesday that he had coordinated the matter with Minister Jonan. Several ministries have also conducted a study on it and concluded that there are regulations that have to be abided by public transportation service providers.
However, the government also found that the public needs online transportation services.
"Minister Jonan and I shared the same opinion based on the fact that there are regulations. But, it is also a fact that the people's aspirations are high for the presence of online transportation services, which offers more convenient and cheaper options," noted Rudiantara.
Rudiantara said that his ministry will coordinate with the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SME) with regard to the issuance of licenses for taxi services using the online system.
"The service could take the form of cooperatives. I have ordered my special staff to communicate directly with the Cooperatives and SME Minister Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Puspayoga, so that licenses to that effect could be issued soon," Rudiantara stated at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday.
He explained that after the online application-based transportation services obtain licenses, his ministry will soon submit them to the Transportation Service of Jakarta and Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama.
Earlier, the Jakarta provincial government has urged all owners, as well as the management of companies offering online application-based transportation services, to immediately acquire operational permits.
"Online application-based transport providers must follow our rules by registering to operate in Jakarta," Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who is better known as Ahok, stated on Monday. According to the governor, operational licenses are compulsory.
"We do not want to prohibit online application-based transportation service providers, as now is the era of technology, but we underline the importance of securing an operational license, so that other public transportation providers would not feel less competitive and suffer losses," he affirmed.
Therefore, Ahok has requested some online application-based transportation service providers, such as GrabCar and Uber, to immediately register to receive operational licenses and place a logo on every vehicle used to carry passengers.
"It is the same with GrabCar and Uber taxis in Singapore, which are taxis and cars there were already registered as modes of public transportation. GrabCar and Uber taxis in Jakarta need to follow the same rule," he added.
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.
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.
JK said the online transportation service system has made traffic more orderly because the vehicles arrived when these were ordered. This reduces the number of vehicles on the road.
Therefore, the vice president is of the view that services in both systems of transportation should be managed well and there should be restrictions based on the need.
"Jakarta must have a plan first, taking into account factors such as the number of taxis needed, both online and through conventional services, so that it does not lead to any problem," the vice president said. ***2***a014/INE/o001)EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/O. Tamindael) 16-03-2016 12:54:1 |
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar