Minivan drivers protest terminal closure

JAKARTA. Around 200 minivan drivers staged a rally on Monday morning at the Lebak Bulus terminal in South Jakarta, demanding that the city administration halt its plan to temporarily close the terminal to make way for the construction of mass rapid transit (MRT) infrastructure.

Cilandak Police chief Comr. HM Sungkono said on Monday that the rally, which ended at around 11 a.m., had passed off without incident.

“[The protesters] had received information that the terminal would be closed for buses serving inner-city routes, but that information was false,” he said, adding that 54 police officers had provided security at the rally.

Lebak Bulus terminal manager Adjmain, however, denied that a rally had taken place at the terminal.

“They were just waiting for their colleagues to arrive; they planned to stage a rally at City Hall [in Central Jakarta],” he said.

One driver, Nuryanto, 35, said he and his fellow drivers had only just heard about the closure plan and had yet to seek confirmation.

“We received the news about the closure yesterday [Sunday]. This morning, the terminal was already fenced off,” he was quoted as saying by tempo.co.

The minivan drivers parked their vehicles in front of the terminal, causing severe congestion to up to 2 kilometers in the area.