Bus Drivers Trapped Between Hunger and Contracting Covid-19

Kompas/Priyombodo

A Transjakarta bus driver wears a mask amid the monitoring of the implementation of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) to break the chain of Covid-19 transmission on Saturday (11/4/2020).

Fear is spreading among Transjakarta bus drivers. As they remain on duty to make a living, they are also concerned about contracting Covid-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2.

Transjakarta head Nardi at state bus operator Damri said that bus drivers faced the dilemma of choosing between earning an income and protecting themselves from Covid-19. This is especially so because Transjakarta’s passengers are diverse and include among them people who lack awareness of public health.

“[The drivers] are scared, but they have a sense of duty and need to earn money. It is a combination of sacrifice, service and personal need,” he said on Tuesday (12/5/2020).

Nardi said that no Damri bus drivers serving Transjakarta routes had contracted Covid-19 so far. The company has strict protocols in place to protect the health of its drivers.

“We aim to protect our drivers’ health by maintaining cleanliness of the driver’s cab area on our buses. We remind drivers not to leave their seats unless absolutely necessary. We also provide disinfectant to our drivers for using at any time while on duty,” he said.

Drivers are also required to wear masks. Their temperature is taken before they start work. In addition to disinfectant, hand sanitizer is also provided on the buses.

Kompas/Priyombodo

An aerial photo of Blok M Bus terminal, South Jakarta, which was quiet because of restrictions on public transportation operations related to the implementation of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB), on Wednesday (15/4/2020).

No break room

Operations manager Daryono of bus company PT Mayasari Bakti said that its buses serving Transjakarta routes were fitted with a barrier separating the driver’s cab area from the passenger compartment to better protect its bus drivers. Mayasari Bakti’s regular buses did not have this barrier.

“The problem is, even if [the drivers] are protected onboard the bus, there is no special room for drivers at the bus terminals. There, the drivers mingle with other people,” said Daryono.

Under the service standards for passenger terminals in Transportation Minister Regulation No. PM 40/2015, all bus terminals must provide a break room for bus drivers.

Daryono said that a break room would help protect the bus drivers’ health, as the room would separate them from other people.

The company is protecting drivers by cleaning its buses daily and checking the drivers’ temperature before they start work. Daryono said that no Mayasari Bakti drivers had contracted Covid-19 to date.

Nadia Diposanjoyo, corporate secretary and public relations head at PT Transportasi Jakarta (Transjakarta), said that no Transjakarta drivers or other bus staff had contracted Covid-19.

Drivers have also been given protective equipment including masks, gloves and hand sanitizers.

The company has implemented prevention measures such as providing daily vitamins for its drivers, sterilizing buses every three days, expanding its fleet of mobile clinics for drivers and checking their temperature before starting work. Drivers have also been given protective equipment including masks, gloves and hand sanitizers.

Meanwhile, it requires all drivers and passengers to adhere to physical distancing rules. Its orange, low-floor Metro buses have been fitted with a rope barrier that separates the driver’s cab from the rest of the bus.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

Medical workers at a referral hospital for Covid-19 patients sit at a safe distance from each other on a regular Transjakarta bus that serves the route from the Grand Cempaka Hotel, Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta to the hospital where they work, Sunday (19/4/2020).

Transjakarta has also reduced the number of routes and its service hours to help prevent Covid-19 transmission. It has reduced its service hours from 24 hours to 12 hours, from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. for serving the general public. Only 24 of its 230 daily routes are in service during the outbreak. Additionally, it is operating 24 special routes from 6 a.m.-11 p.m. for health workers only. These routes are not open to the public.

As the company has reduced the number of routes are slashed its service hours, it has also cut the number of buses in service.

“We also hold Covid-19 rapid testing and have imposed a protocol for temperature checks. If a [bus driver’s] body temperature is high, they will be instructed to self-quarantine for 14 days. During the quarantine period, our human resources and occupational health and safety teams monitor their health every day and give all the health support they need,” Nadia said.

KOMPAS/ERIKA KURNIA

Two Transjakarta buses pass near the Senayan traffic circle bus stop, Jakarta, Friday (10/4/2020) afternoon. Transjakarta operations are limited during the implementation of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) until 23 April, with operational hours of 6 a.m. to 6p.m.

She said that no Transjakarta drivers had been quarantined as of Tuesday (12/5). “Some field crew have been quarantined because members of their families are in quarantine, so they have to be quarantined, as well,” Nadia added.

Concerns have also risen around the world over the health of public transportation workers. Lorraine, a 62-year-old bus driver in South London, said she was worried about contracting Covid-19 while she was on duty. Lorraine uploaded a video appealing to the government and bus operators “to do more to help protect transport staff”, according to BBC News.

Transport for London (TfL) said that 37 of its workers had died from Covid-19. Of this figure, 28 were bus drivers.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that everything was being done to protect the safety of transportation workers, as reported by BBC News.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

A Transjakarta bus driver wears a mask at Pulo Gadung bus terminal, East Jakarta, Monday (6/4/2020). Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan on 3 April 2020 issued an appeal, in which residents were required to wear masks when going out of the house to prevent Covid-19 transmission.

Drivers’ income

On the other hand, bus drivers are also facing financial problems due to the low number of passengers and restrictions on passenger carriage.

Daryono said that drivers were facing a dire situation, especially those of regular non-Transjakarta buses. “It is likely that they are not afraid of Covid-19, but of going hungry,” he said.

He continued that the wages of non-Transjakarta bus drivers were based on the number of passengers they transported. Only 10 percent of Mayasari Bakti’s buses were still in service as the number of passengers had plummeted. The buses carried only a handful of passengers, not even enough to cover operational costs.

“Before the outbreak, a bus could carry 250 passengers on three complete trips. Nowadays, there is only an average of 50 passengers for three trips,” Daryono said.

KOMPAS/AGUIDO ADRI

To reduce passenger density, Transjakarta prepares more buses, such as seen at Harmoni bus stop on Monday (16/3/2020).

As a result, some drivers were temporarily out of work. While some had access to government aid, others had been left out due to administrative problems.

Only 50 percent of Transjakarta buses are still in service. Of the 279 Mayasari Bakti buses serving Transjakarta routes, only an average of 130-150 buses were still in daily service. This has caused a deep cut in Mayasari Bakti’s earnings, which is calculated by distance traveled. Meanwhile, the company must still pay its drivers’ minimum wage salary every month, plus an allowance based on distance traveled. As the number of buses serving Transjakarta routes has been reduced, Mayasari Bakti is earning less money from Transjakarta and the drivers’ allowances have also decreased.

Damri applies a similar remuneration system for its drivers serving Transjakarta routes. Nardi said that its drivers could take home more money with more drivers on duty and longer distance traveled.

Only 20 of the 25 Damri buses serving Transjakarta routes are still in service during the outbreak. On weekends, even fewer buses are in service. Transjakarta regulates the number of buses in service.

Transjakarta is helping with drivers’ salaries, but operators are responsible for disbursement.

Nadia said that Transjakarta had a force majeure agreement with bus companies during the Covid-19 outbreak. “The agreement was accepted by all parties,” she said. Transjakarta is helping with drivers’ salaries, but operators are responsible for disbursement.

Meanwhile, salaries are also being paid to the drivers of the Jaklingko public minivan service, which has merged with Transjakarta.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Ilustration: A passenger swipes the JakLingko card to the JakLingko card reader while riding the JakLingko minivan departing from Tanah Abang railway station, Central Jakarta, Wednesday (15/1/2020).

Potential passengers

In an online discussion held by the Institute of Transportation Studies (Instran) and the Jakarta branch of the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI), Asian Development Bank (ADB) vice president Bambang Susantono said that he understood the heavy pressure public transportation workers were under these days.

“There will be distrust on public transportation. People will be thinking, ‘Don’t let the person sitting next to me have Covid-19.’ They will be suspicious if someone nearby coughs. They will be worried whether the seats have been sterilized,” he said on Sunday.

Such suspicions would prompt people to use private vehicles for the time being.

Ideally, the public transportation subsidy should be maintained so that fares stayed affordable.

On the other hand, demand for public transportation would never cease. Bambang said that the economic crisis created by Covid-19 would cause people to fall into poverty due to lower purchasing power. For such people, there was no other option but to use public transportation. Furthermore, many informal workers would continue to use public transportation, so demand for public transportation would only go up. Ideally, the public transportation subsidy should be maintained so that fares stayed affordable.

“Whether to subsidize public transportation or not is a matter of priority. Is public transportation a priority in the eyes of policymakers? This is about prioritizing public transportation to uphold the people’s right to live,” Bambang said.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

Transjakarta bus passengers sit at a safe distance from each other on Thursday (4/4/2020). The enactment of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) in Jakarta includes regulating mass transportation modes which only carry half of the maximum capacity, with limited operating hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

He said that public transportation subsidy was generally provided as cash. However, in difficult times such as this, the subsidy could take several forms, such as a tax exemption on spare parts for public transportation vehicles and fee waivers for vehicle registration documents (STNK), roadworthiness tests and terminal usage for public transportation vehicles. Such exemptions and waivers would be only temporary.

People must make difficult choices in difficult times. Bus drivers risk their lives on duty, public transportation companies bear financial burdens and policymakers must always attend to the people’s need for subsidized pubwlic transportation.