TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Dozens of Damri bus drivers and the conductors at Soekarno-Hatta went on strike since last night until this morning, July 5-6, hampering the bus service from the airport to several locations in Jakarta Greater Area (Jabodetabek).

"Only three of 25 routes that operate,” said Executive General Manager of Soekarno-Hatta, Agus Haryadi airport to Tempo Saturday morning, July 6.

Agus said that airport management deployed other buses to serve the same routes in order to minimize the effect of the Damri drivers protest to the operational of Soekarno-Hatta Airport.

The general manager of the state-run public transit bus company, Boy Aryadi, said that the protest was triggered by the status of helper or bus conductor. "They protest the policy of the helper management that is not onboard but offboard instead," he told Tempo Saturday morning, July 6.

The new policy triggered Damri drivers and conductors to hold the protest. "They create a leak in the company indirectly. YLKI suggested that naughty conductors manipulate the tariff; for example, from Rp40,000 to Rp60,000.”

The central management took a firm step to replace the conductors and the technology system. "Our income increase after the implementation of the new policy but it affects their (drivers and conductors) income [negatively]," said Boy.

Currently, Damri serves 30 routes from Soekarno-Hatta Airport to Jakarta Greater Area.

Regarding the lack of drivers following the strike, Boy said that his company had sent drivers from other branches to replace the drivers that went on strike, defending the saying that the bus service at the airport was totally stopped.

JONIANSYAH HARDJONO