After a recent series of fatal accidents involving Metromini buses, the Jakarta Government has taken a hardline approach to removing the aging buses and their reckless drivers off the capital’s streets. That push has led to many Metromini drivers and operators to strike in protest, a move that Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama almost seemed to welcome.
In an attempt to defend their poor reputation, the president director of bus operator PT Metromini, Nofrialdi, compared the aging buses to elderly people, suggesting that even though they’re old they still have value.
“Do not say that the poor quality of Metrominis will not be tolerated. There is not yet any form of public transport in Jakarta that is so great,” Nofrialdi said Sunday as quoted by Kompas.
Nofrialdi compared the the situation to having an aging parent, saying that they should not be discarded or abandoned just like that. He said the Metromini fleet was in a similar situation and should receive support from the Jakarta Government instead of just trying to get rid of them.
But, perhaps sensing how much public and government opinion has turned sharply against Metrominis, Nofrialdi said that his company would be willing to join state-run PT Transjakarta and meet its operational standards. He also said that his company has at least 250 Metromini buses that are still in good condition that could be immediately used if they merged with Transjakarta early next year.
