With a strong show of leadership from the recently appointed Governor of Jakarta, Joko Widodo, significant enhancements to the TransJakarta Bus Rapid Transit system are just around the corner.
By mid-2013 it is now expected that the REEEP-funded Low Carbon Public Transport project, being delivered by Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), will be well on the way to dramatically boosting ridership on Jakarta’s public transport system.
Through careful and lengthy planning and modelling and by building crucial relationships within government and with private bus owners, the Government of Jakarta will be establishing the infrastructure that changes the way this burgeoning city of 13 million residents moves.
The REEEP project ties into an wider scheme of activities with three main components:
System renewal
Jakarta’s traditional bus system, the direct service system, is largely unregulated and delivered by small business operators who typically own just two or three buses. The new system will require these business operators invest in new buses that will make for a more comfortable commute for passengers, and then sign service level agreements with the Government of Indonesia to provide the service in return for a fee. This system change has been co-ordinated via the co-operatives of bus owners that operate across Jakarta.
Building a business case
To effect such a change, ITDP is developing business models for the bus owners and government to demonstrate how all parties can make their new business work.
Infrastructure
The final step, to expand the BRT stations, will be funded by the municipality of Jakarta over the coming two years. This will see a significant increase on the BRT system capacity where the stations will be expanded to more than 3 times the current size with multiple stops, allowing room for up to 6 buses simultaneously.
According to ITDP Country Director, Yoga Adiwinarto, the project is expected to be “a real boon for local bus drivers and operators and for commuters. It will provide a guaranteed income for the bus drivers and a higher quality service for commuters making it a genuine option for their daily trip to work. I can now imagine a day when we will see TransJakarta buses shooting along the rapid transit lanes every 30 seconds, and the people stuck in traffic in their private cars will wish they’d caught the bus.”
