JAKARTA. The Jakarta administration is mulling over plans to increase parking fees by up to 10 percent as part of an attempt to discourage residents from using their private vehicles when commuting in the capital.

"I have ordered [my subordinates] to evaluate the parking tariff scheme in order to encourage citizens to leave their private vehicles [at home] and use public transportation," Jakarta Secretary Saefullah said at City Hall on Monday.

He argued that the reason why the waiting time for Transjakarta buses at certain stations could reach up to 20 minutes from normally two to three minutes, was because dedicated busway lanes were being used by private vehicles.

"The bylaw [on parking tariffs] should be altered; that's why I said we should conduct an evaluation and discuss it with city councilors," he said as quoted by kompas.com.

Currently, parking fees are widely set at Rp 2,000 (US 15 cent) per hour for motorcycles and Rp 5,000 for cars.

Editor: Wahyu T.Rahmawati