The Jakarta Post - Train commuters fight for change
Salut berat sama mbak reporter ini. Mbak Anissa adalah salah satu member milis KRLMania dan dia berhasil menangkap esensi utama collective power di balik milis ini. Wawancara dilakukan di Stasiun Dukuh Atas pada Selasa (September 05, 2006). Thank You Mbak Anissa... We need more reporters like you...
Train commuters fight for change
Anissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
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."
Train commuters fight for change
Anissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
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."
posted by Octavian at 9/13/2006 11:05:00 AM
1 Comments:
Great style. I would love to write that way.
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