The measure was taken since during the COVID-19 pandemic, transportation modes, including tourism transportation were impacted, and there were periods when the fleets were not operated. Hence, once normalcy was gradually restored, some operators forgot to pay attention to the vehicles' condition.
"During the pandemic in the past, several existing fleets were not operated, so when some normalcy was restored in some aspects, several operators forgot to pay attention to the condition of their vehicles," Director of Road Transport at the Transportation Ministry Suharto noted in a statement here on Monday.
Suharto remarked that this then gave rise to problems to the extent that it led to accidents that caused casualties.
As the ministry was keen to promptly address this situation, it adopted control measures by evaluating operators through their directorate of road transportation. Owned permits and the condition of the fleet to be operated were evaluated.
"The results of the evaluation show that 854 tourism transportation companies have 13,659 vehicles. Of this number, 7,802 vehicles have permits and other equipment, while as many as 5,857 vehicles, or 47 percent of the total tourism transportation, are not disciplined in managing permits," he stated.
Suharto also emphasized that the operators' permits were withheld until they completed the requirements that had to be met, including to address the condition of fleets eligible to be used on the road, such as through tests.
To provide safe and comfortable transportation, the government also expects inputs and information from the public using the Spionam (Multimode Transport Online Licensing System) application. Through this application, people can check the licensing status of public transportation vehicles by simply inputting information of the vehicle's license plate, and the application would show complete vehicle data, including age, frame number, KIR test status, and others.
"Through this Spionam application, the public can check the roadworthiness of the tourism bus fleet that will be operated. If it turns out that the vehicle data is not appropriate and the permit is not complete, then the public should not choose the vehicle and can report it," he remarked.
Suharto also said that as a regulator, his administration reminded people to choose licensed tourism transportation vehicles, the first and foremost being a guarantee of everything for the passengers, including the condition, the status, as well as the driver's identity and skills. Most importantly, if an accident occurs, the passenger would receive insurance coverage.
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Translator: Ahmad Wijaya, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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