0 Feeder buses halted for improvement

Denpasar residents who have started to rely on the feeder minibuses serving the Trans Sarbagita public bus routes might have to be patient for another two weeks before they can use the minibuses again. The city’s Transportation Agency decided to halt the operation of the feeder minibuses as of Jan. 1, since the fleet needs to be checked and repairs undertaken to ensure the vehicles are all roadworthy. 

“All the 56 minibuses should be checked to ensure they are roadworthy. Besides, we also need to train the drivers so that they are ready to work in accordance with our system,” Dewa Adi Pradnyana, head of the agency’s land transportation service unit, said on Monday. With the absence of feeder minibuses that connect several areas in the city with the main Trans Sarbagita bus stops, passengers will have to go directly to the nearest main bus stop if they want to take a ride on the public bus. 

“We apologize for this inconvenience. The feeder service will resume operations on Jan. 21 at the latest,” Dewa said, adding that the agency had displayed some announcements in public places. The agency stated that the feeder minibuses would be in an improved condition once they were back on the road. The minibuses currently operate on four different return routes: Route 1 runs between GOR Ngurah Rai and Renon; Route 2 between Matahari Terbit and Sanglah; Route 3 connects Teuku Umar intersection and Jl. Bypass Ngurah Rai; and Route 4 connects Jl. Sudirman-Jl.Waturenggong-Jl. Sidakarya. 

The routes intersect with each other, as well as with several stops along the two main Trans Sarbagita routes, including Matahari Terbit, Jl. Sudirman, GOR Ngurah Rai, Jl. Diponegoro and Benoa Pesanggaran. From all the four routes, the Denpasar Transportation Agency recorded around 1,000 passengers per day, with peak loads on Saturdays and Sundays, double the number of passengers in the early days of operation. Maps of the feeder minibus networks are available and can be requested from the drivers. 

The feeder bus network not only offers certainty to passengers but also provides a steady income for the 56 drivers currently working 8-hour work shifts on each for the routes. To attract more passengers, the agency will carry out further improvements this year. Among the improvements planned is the implementation of an electronic ticketing system, in which passengers will receive a ticket from a machine installed on the minibus when they pay their fare to the driver. When the electronic ticketing system has been applied, passengers will have to pay to ride the minibuses. 

Since these minibuses hit the road in September last year until the present day, they have been running free of charge to passengers. “Hopefully, we will start operating the new ticketing system by the end of February. According to our estimations, the fare for each passenger will be Rp 2,000 [21 US cents],” Dewa said. The operational cost of the minibus per passenger is Rp 6,000, but this will be partially subsidized by the city administration. Mid this year, the agency will hold a draw in which passengers can win prizes in exchange for the bus tickets they have collected. 

The number of passengers on the bright green minibuses is considered significant, reaching around 1,000 passengers per day. Of the four routes, the favorite is Route 2 connecting Matahari Terbit Beach to Sanur and areas around Sanglah Hospital. Over the last four months, the number of passengers has reached 125,000. It is expected that more people will use the minibuses, in order to minimize the use of private vehicles and thus reduce traffic congestion. Dewa said the agency had yet to plan additional fleets and new routes for this year, waiting at least until the revised city budget came into effect.

source : bali daily