March 12, 2009

Transjakarta Busway Launches 24-hour ‘Cold’ Hotline (Jakarta)

The Transjakarta busway management body (BLU) launched a so-called 24-hour hotline Tuesday to field complaints from Transjakarta commuters, but users have had to be patient to get through.

The hotline, at (021) 7228727, has actually been displayed on posters inside the Transjakarta buses for years now.

When The Jakarta Post tried the number, an operator could only be reached after several attempts and a host of “Sorry, the number you tried to reach is busy” recordings. The operator apologized, claiming that calls were being taken almost every minute.

BLU public relations official Yuliani Evta said the hotline temporarily had two operators per shift with only one line.

She added most calls came from people asking about busway routes.

“The authentic complaints are mainly about the service of the busway officials,” she said.

Beside the hotline, BLU head Daryati Asrining Rini claimed her office had also launched a website, https://www.suaratransjakarta.org to re,ceive complaints from busway users and also to build a community of busway users, according to beritajakarta.com.

But David Tjahjana, chairman of the community of busway users who built the website, said the community had developed and managed the website since 2007, using their own funds.

“We are not affiliated with Transjakarta, or with the city administration, or the body,” David said.

“The site was created purely by the community for the public.”

The community currently boasts 1,100 members, he added.

The site features up-to-the-minute data on bus stops and busway operators, as well as suggestions and criticism, and also a forum.

The same community also developed the site https://www.infobusway.com with ,real-time information on most aspects of the busway, from routes to weather and road conditions.

Thousands of commuters use the busway each day. Official figures show the busway transit shelter at Senen sells about 2,800 tickets each weekday, while that at Dukuh Atas sells at least 2,100. These figures do not include transit passengers from several corridors who change buses.

The busway service runs 426 buses along 8 corridors.

With only two officers receiving calls, who do thousands of busway users call if they want to complain about their desperate complaint calls never reaching anybody?

To view the original posting, click here:
Transjakarta Busway Launches 24-hour ‘Cold’ Hotline (Jakarta)

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