Transportation Ministry Preps Stimulus following Mudik Ban

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Transportation Ministry’s Land Transport Director-General, Ahmad Yani, said his side was preparing a stimulus for operators of mass transportations following the government’s ban on annual mass exodus or mudik ban as part of the COVID-19 containment efforts. He said data on the business players were still being listed.

“I keep on communicating [with the associations or entrepreneurs], how many taxis and others [affected by the policy] to be included in the proposal related to the business relaxation,” said Ahmad Yani during a virtual discussion on Sunday, April 26.

He explained that many public transport operators affected by the pandemic, including 346 operators of intercity and interprovincial (AKAP) buses, 56 firms of the inter-provincial shuttle (AJAP), and the hardest-hit tourism transport operators reaching 1,112 firms. “But many are still not registered,” Yani added.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) Head Shafruhan Sinungan said more than 150,000 people were affected by the suspension of bus operations. According to him, Jakarta has 62,000 passenger transports, each operated by two workers.

“We are worried about how long this pandemic will end. And many of our fleets are not operating,” Ahmad Yani added.

Even since February, he went on, tourism special transportations in Jakarta had fully stopped, and so many of the operators were proposing credit restructuring.

MUHAMMAD HENDARTYO