Govt to Restrict Fare Hike During Christmas, New Year Holidays

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Director General of Land Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation, Suroyo Alimoeso, reminded land transportation companies not to raise the fares too high during Christmas and New Year holidays. He said that the government would impose a severe sanction to the companies that raise fares beyond limits. "Under the prevailing regulation, especially for land transportation, the limit of the rise is 30 percent at the biggest and 20 percent at the smallest," said Suroyo on Saturday, December 21, 2013.

Land transportation companies that were proven to raise their fares beyond limit would have their operating license evaluated. However, Suroyo added, the sanction would also consider opinions from the companies that raise fares. "Unreasonable rise of fares is sometimes not done by the owner of a certain public transportation company but from other irresponsible parties such as scalpers," he said.

The Transportation Ministry predicted that the peak of the holiday season would take place on 23 to 24 December and 28 to 29 December 2013. The surge in the number of passengers is predicted to be almost the same as that of last year, or an increase of 2.1 percent as opposed that in 2012, which saw 2,723,868 passengers.

ANANDA PUTRI