"Toll road fare adjustments are a normal procedure of the toll road operator to fulfil operational obligation to the government. As long as the operator abides by the law, the fare adjustment could be made," transportation expert Djoko Setidjowarno from Soegijapranata University in Semarang, Central Java, stated.
He noted that fare adjustments were within the tolerable limit, and not all segments within the toll road system connecting Merak, Banten, to Banyuwangi, East Java, applied the fare adjustment.
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"I think the adjustment is bearable for toll road users, considering the high operating costs borne by the operator," the transportation expert pointed out.
Setidjowarno noted that over-dimension and overloaded trucks passing the toll road would increase the likelihood of road damage, thereby leading to a rise in operating costs.
Earlier, toll road operator Jasa Marga had adjusted the toll road fare for the Trans-Java toll road network, effective since today. The fare for all five vehicle groups recorded an increase of 4.41 per cent, with the fare for the first vehicle group rising, from Rp691,500 (around US$47.7) to Rp722,000 (around US$49.8).
State-owned toll road operator company Jasa Marga Corporate Communication and Community Development Group Head, Dwimawan Heru, remarked that the decision to adjust the toll fare was made to accommodate the earlier fare adjustment on four toll road segments since the Trans-Java toll road system applied a cumulative one-time payment for the 1,176-km toll road network.
Related laws on toll roads have been taken into account prior to the fare adjustment, as the law also regulates toll road fare adjustment every two years to ensure that the fare keeps pace with the inflation rate, Heru explained.
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Translator: Aji Cakti, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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