'Busway to start in December'

Governor Sutiyoso said on Thursday that the busway program would be implemented in December.

He made the statement to reporters a day after his arrival here from a foreign visit to examine the busway systems in several major cities of South American countries, including Columbia and Mexico.

He said that he had ordered Irzal Djamal, the busway team leader, to study the busway systems in the countries and see which system would be appropriate for Jakarta.

The city administration plans to establish a 12.9-kilometer busway route between Blok M in South Jakarta and Kota in West Jakarta, utilizing 140 buses, of which 80 units will be provided by a consortium of private bus companies, a report from the administration said.

The report said that feeder services and ticketing will be operated by private companies, which will be selected later through a tender.

The feeder service will provide public transportation to take passengers from all areas of Jakarta to sections of the route, which will include Jl. Sudirman, Jl. Thamrin, Jl. Gajah Mada and Hayam Wuruk.

Along with the system, the city administration also plans to extend the three-in-one traffic policy throughout the whole day until afternoon.

The policy, which requires motorists to bring at least two passengers inside their cars, is expected to encourage people to leave their cars at home and use the public transportation.--JP