Hundreds Of South Cianjur Elf Transport Drivers Strike Due To Illegal Taxis Or Travel

An elf transport driver in Cianjur, West Java on a mass strike, Sunday, April 4 (Ahmad Fikri / Antara)

JAKARTA - Hundreds of minibus (elf) drivers from various directions to the south of Cianjur, West Java, have gone on a mass strike as a protest against illegal taxis or illegal travel which has left passengers at the Pasirhayam Cianjur Terminal.

"We demand that the relevant agencies and law enforcement immediately take action against illegal taxis that have harmed us as official transportation. Since the rise of illegal taxis, the income of southern drivers continues to decline", said an elf driver Oman Nurohman in Cianjur, reported by Antara, Sunday, 4 April.

He explained that hundreds of elf drivers heading south of Cianjur would take action until their demand was granted by the relevant agencies in the Cianjur Regency Government, by taking action and issuing a ban on illegal taxis to freely attract passengers.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, transportation drivers have lost considerable income due to lack of passengers, coupled with the rise of illegal taxis operating carrying passengers from outside cities such as Jabodetabek (Jakarta areas) to destination addresses in various regions in Cianjur.

"We hope that soon there will be firm action because we have clear permits and operating hours, but are eliminated by illegal taxis that are free without permission that can go in and out and operate from outside the city", he said.

Head of the Transportation Division of the Cianjur Transportation Agency, Hendra Wira Wiharja, said that since early February his party had been discussing handling illegal taxis, even the government had warned taxi entrepreneurs not to operate until the required documents were completed.

"We have provided education to the owners of transportation services to complete the requirements and take care of operational permits at the Ministry and 80 percent of their requirements have been implemented. If taxis are illegal, we will immediately put them in order", he said.

The Head of Cianjur Police, AKBP Mochamad Rifai said that after coordinating with the relevant agencies and agreeing to return to operation, the driver demanded that their request be granted so that his party ordered the Cianjur Police Department to check the completeness of the illegal taxi documents.

"If we do not have a permit, we will follow up, so that no illegal taxis are free to operate. We also provide input to entrepreneurs and elf drivers to improve services as a competitive advantage", he said.