The demand was made following the rising number of crimes happening to public transport users in the capital city.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Jakarta-based Association of Legal Aid and Human Rights (PBHI) has urged the local government to evaluate the management of the public transportation system in the national capital, a spokesman said.

The demand was made following the rising number of crimes happening to public transport users in the capital city. The most recent case was the rape of a career woman named RS (27 years old) inside a city transportation car on the Pondok Labu-Ciputat route, Poltak Agustinus Sinaga, chairman of PBHI said here Tuesday.

"The local government must evaluate everything starting from licenses given to private transportation operators and facilities inside the vehicle," Poltak said.

He called on related authorities, namely the police, Minister of Transportation Freddy Numberi, Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi and Jakarta`s Governor Fauzi Bowo to do more in providing safe and comfortable public transportation for the people.

"All citizens have a right to safety, it is regulated in Law No 39/1999, article 30, about human rights," he added.

According to data from the Jakarta Metropolitan Police, 40 rape cases had happened in the greater Jakarta area (including Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi) during the period January-September 2011.

Earlier, Transportation Minister Freddy Numbery asked transportation officials in Maluku to continue making all possible efforts to tighten oversight of local transportation services to create a more orderly, safer, more secure and comfortable transportation system

"Continuous supervision is a major factor in the provision of quality transportation services, the creation of a more orderly, safer, more secure and comfortable transportation system ," Freddy said in prepared address read out by Maluku Governor Karel Albert Ralahalu on the occasion of National Transportation Day in Ambon recently.

The minister said all parties involved in the transportation sector, especially the regulators and operators, were responsible for and should be concerned about the safety and quality of public transportation services.

"As regulators, we have to be able to watch over the operators, see to it they abide by the transportation rules. Even though this is not an easy thing to do, we have to do it," he said.

The minister also asked transportation officials to tighten their oversight over the technical execution units in the implementation of their tasks and the operation of transportation services to ensure they fully complied with the existing regulations.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011