Commuter line passengers in Greater Jakarta were forced to wait in long lines to purchase single-trip tickets on Monday morning amid an upgrade to its electronic ticketing system that has been taking place since Saturday.
Passengers had to line up to purchase Rp3,000 paper tickets as multi-trip cards (KMT) and e-money cards issued by banks could not be used during the upgrade.
Abilio Kenzo, 25, a resident of Depok, West Java, said he was surprised to see hundreds of people lining up upon his arrival at Depok Station at around 5.30am.
Passengers reportedly jostled with each other to purchase tickets, causing damage to ticket counters.
Abilio, who works in Kuningan, South Jakarta, said he had read an announcement that the system was undergoing maintenance posted by commuter line management on Twitter at around 10pm on Sunday.
However, he did not expect such crowds.
“I had to wait around 30 minutes just get a ticket. I was late for work because of that,” Abilio told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
He deplored that the system maintenance was being conducted during rush hour on Monday. The management should have carried out the upgrade over the weekend or in the evening, he said.
Similar chaos was seen in Bekasi. Angga Septiana, 32, said she only learned of the system upgrade upon her arrival at the station on Monday.
Angga, who works in Mangga Dua, West Jakarta, said she had to jostle with other passengers and waited in line for 20 minutes to obtain a ticket.
“My body hurts because I had to jostle with other passengers to get a ticket. There were only two officers serving passengers when I arrived,” Angga said.
The management should have disseminated information about the upgrade in advance, so passengers could prepare, she said.
PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia (KCI) spokeswoman Eva Chairunisa said on Sunday that the upgrade and maintenance of the electronic ticketing system, which had been installed five years ago, should be conducted to make sure the system worked well in the future.
Therefore, she suggested passengers at 79 stations in Greater Jakarta reschedule their trips and prepare Rp 3,000 to avoid long lines.
Source: Jakarta Post
Photo courtesy of TEMPO/ JACKY RACHMANSYAH