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rgrd. Train commuters fight for change Anissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailcity.asp?fileid=20060912.D05&irec=4 The last thing anyone wants to deal with at the end of a long day at work is being delayed on the way home. Children miss their good night kiss, dinners get cold and TV programs go unwatched. For the commuters who use the train from the Sudirman-Thamrin business district to get home, last Monday's three-hour delay was not a good start to the week. But while most chose to sulk in silence, 1,200 passengers opted to channel their anger in a more productive manner. They are members of the mailing list KRLMania, an online community that relies on the power of the collective to make consumer complaints more productive and agents for change. "(Public) transportation consumers in Greater Jakarta have very little say or bargaining power to claim their right to better services," said mailing list member Ferry Octavian last week. Ferry has been using PT KA, the state-owned rail company, since the mid 1980s. Ferry said that PT KA's monopoly over rail services in the city prevented customers from having access to a proper standard of service. In 2003, a group of train commuters alighting at the Dukus Atas station on Jl. Sudirman started to discuss the problems they faced as consumers. "Most of our members are passengers from Dukuh Atas. As office workers, maybe we are more demanding than others," said community chairman Agus Imansyah. Around 67,000 executive-class passengers, mainly office workers, and 9,500 economy-class passengers use Dukuh Atas station every year. In less than three years, what started as a forum for irritated passengers has turned into a movement that has managed to persuade the train operator to improve its services. PT KA added another train to the Depok express route after being pestered by the mailing list. The company also now provides more information on train delays for passengers waiting a stations, another move encouraged by the mailing list's members. "It's still not much. We understand that company faces a complex problem as to where to start fixing the quality of their service," said member Riri. "On top of that, there is also a rigid bureaucracy, but we will keep on pushing our agenda." The community presented PT KA's Greater Jakarta division spokesman Akhmad Sujadi with a list of suggestions to improve the service, ranging from tackling on-board corruption to providing Greater Jakarta's train schedules on-line. "We really appreciate their suggestions and are slowly trying to cater to all of their needs," Sujadi said. "We have also taken them to get a closer look at our operation so they can understand the complexity of our service problems." The community has regular meetings with PT KA officials to voice their complaints and monitor the impact of their suggestions. "Some active members of KRLMania help explain (things) to other consumers whenever we have technical problems that lead to delays," Sujadi said. The news of the signal problem at Manggarai station that caused last Monday's delay was announced on the mailing list. "But it was already too late in the afternoon and didn't reach everyone in time. So hundreds of us had to wait for hours at the station," said Maryoto Hadi, a new KRLMania member. As much as the group complains to the train operator, it still remains a fair operation. One member once posted an email to the list telling members not to blame PT KA employees for everything that went wrong. "We understand that we shouldn't just criticize the employees of the company over and over without think about their welfare," said Agus, another member of the list. The group collects money to buy gifts for PT KA station and field staff every Idul Fitri and is quick to praise employees when the service is good. The mailing list also serves as a forum for discussions of consumer empowerment, along with less fiery chats. When a member was involved in an accident at a station in Depok, other members helped him file an insurance claim and lodged a negligence lawsuit against the train operator. "We are trying to improve this movement by cooperating with other forums," said member Ferry. "Consumers must join hands to get what we deserve." __._,_.___ Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages Recent Activity a.. 26New Members Visit Your Group SPONSORED LINKS a.. Jakarta indonesia b.. Hotel jakarta indonesia c.. Hotel in jakarta indonesia d.. Jakarta indonesia hotel e.. Jakarta hotel indonesia Yahoo! Avatars Express Yourself Show your style in Messenger & more. Search Ads Get new customers. List your web site in Yahoo! Search. Y! Messenger PC-to-PC calls Call your friends worldwide - free! . __,_._,___
