Public bus and taxi operators denied accusations of avoiding mandatory roadworthiness testing, resulting in some 6,000 poorly maintained vehicles in use across the city.

Land Transportation Owner Organization (Organda) chairman Herry Rotty said Sunday the vehicles, which the Roadworthiness Test Center claims have not undergone testing, were in fact no longer operational.

"These vehicles are now idle at a number of bus terminals," he told The Jakarta Post.

"So, let's not accuse public transportation owners of avoiding the tests," he added.

Test results were revealed recently which led to a comment from deputy governor Prijanto on public transportation entrepreneurs who, he said, "often tried to cheat the system by replacing their defective auto parts temporarily, just to pass the test."

He also admitted, however, that city officials had failed to enforce the test.

Riza Hashim, head of traffic and public transportation management at Jakarta Transportation Agency, said staff shortages had been the main cause of poor enforcement.

The center revealed Thursday only 73,811 of 88,000 public transportation vehicles traveling around the capital had passed a recent test.

Head of the testing center, Lukman Iskandar, said records showed there were 6,012 vehicles that had not undergone the test.

Of the 6,012 vehicles, city-owned PPD buses accounted for 1,984, Steady Safe 608, Kopaja 480 and Himpurna 70, he said as quoted by Beritajakarta.com.

Data provided by the center, however, did not match what was "known of by Organda", Herry said.

"I don't know how these figures came about, because the city transportation agency has only issued some 45,000 operating licenses (which will expire within a year) for public transport vehicles like buses and taxis," he said.

There are some 60,000 public transport vehicles in Jakarta comprising 4,200 large buses like Steady Safe and Mayasari Bakti, 4,800 medium buses like Kopaja and Metromini, 13,000 small buses and minivans like Mikrolet, 23,300 taxis, and 15,000 bajaj (three-wheeled motorized pedicab), Herry said.

Situated in Pulo Gadung, East Jakarta, the center (supposedly) conducts tests under the auspices of the transportation agency to guarantee that public vehicles are safe for the public.

The tests, which must be taken every six months, check eight areas including the tires, lamps, brakes, engine, windows and (yes) emissions.

According to a 1999 ordinance on city fees and taxes, public transport vehicle owners must pay an average Rp 78,500 (US$8.50) for a certificate of roadworthiness once vehicles pass the mandatory test.

When asked why many public transportation vehicles were continuing to operate despite their excessive emissions, Herry said the agency was to blame.