Transport Ministry Reviews Suggestion on Online Taxi Quota

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Transportation Ministry evaluated the recommendation on the online taxi quota issued by regional administrations. The government readjusted the regulation following the policy issuance concerning application-based transportation mode.

The ministry's Director of Transport and Multimoda Ahmad Yani said several points listed in the previous regulation were still valid. However, new details such as quota and tariff rate issues must be jointly decided by related stakeholders, either application provider or regulators.

“Regional administration must rule the quota with the ministerial approval. The tariff scheme should also be discussed with related stakeholders,” said Ahmad Yani in Bandung, December 19.

Read also: Ministry to Appoint 3rd Party to Monitor Online Taxi Fares

The monitoring on the quota and tariff of the online taxi, which is presently managed by two online ride-hailing provider Grab and Gojek, is now strengthened post the replacement of Transportation Ministerial Decree No. 108/2017 on the Implementation of People's Transportation with Non-Route Public Motor Vehicles which was revoked by Supreme Court on May 31, 2018.

Despite Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi had inked the new policy, it would start to take effect on May 2019.

Yani demanded further discussion on the quota of the online taxi. Several regional authorities had earlier collected numbers of online taxis allowed for operational. Per March 2018, the ministry received 14 recommendations, with a total quota reached 91,953 units which mostly came from the Greater Jakarta (Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi) at 36,510 vehicles.

The ministry’s Land Transportation Director Budi Setiyadi, meanwhile, said that the existing quota of the online taxi was allowed. “With a note that no addition of new vehicles, except driver replacement,” he noted.

YOHANES PASKALIS