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Indonesia confirmed on Monday that it would increase fees on two toll roads — one in Jakarta and the other in East Java — effective this month.

Ahmad Ghani Gazali, the head of the Toll Road Regulatory Body (BPJT), said a 10 to 12 percent increase in fees would be implemented on the Surabaya-Gresik toll road in East Java and the Jakarta Outer Ring Road.

“After an evaluation of the minimum service standards [SPM], we decided to increase the tolls for the two roads,” he said.

The SPM sets a benchmark on users’ safety and comfort and the adequacy of the service.

It currently costs a small car Rp 8,000 (90 cents) to travel on the Surabaya-Gresik toll road. Based on the BPJT evaluation, that will rise to Rp 9,000.

For the JORR, the toll for a small car will increase from Rp 7,000 to Rp 7,500.

The two toll roads are among six on which the government plans to increase fees this year. The other four toll roads are Kanci-Pejagan in Cirebon, West Java; Waru-Juanda in Surabaya; Jakarta-Cikampek; and Sedyatmo, a toll road to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport servicing the capital.

For Kanci-Pejagan, a toll road owned by Bakrie Toll Road, Ghani said his office had decided to delay the increase because of the number of potholes on the road.

“The toll should have been increased on January 25, but until they fix the potholes we can’t let them raise the toll,” he said.

Ghani said the Waru-Juanda toll fees would go up in May, while the tolls for the Jakarta-Cikampek and Sedyatmo roads would rise in July.

“We are still evaluating the SPM on these toll roads,” he said.

According to a 2004 law, the government can let operators increase tolls periodically, but the operators must meet minimum service standards beforehand.

Investor Daily