Busway dan jalan-jalan maut

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo needs to remember that in a democratic society leaders are required to accommodate the aspirations and needs of the general public who have entrusted themselves to be led by for a certain period of time.
At the same time, a leader must be able to keep campaign promises -- in the case of the governor, the promise to improve traffic conditions.
But we also want to remind the directly elected governor that it will be dangerous for the people themselves when the leader changes or softens a decision because of public outcry. It often happens the public criticism is later proven wrong and the leader was right in the first place.
After his inauguration as the successor of Sutiyoso in October last year, Fauzi looked very firm in his belief that he would go ahead with Sutiyoso's legacy, the controversial busway program. He strongly believed at that time that by making various improvements the busway system would ease the grievous traffic congestion in Jakarta.
The Jakarta governor is luckier than any other governor in Indonesia, at least in terms of budget. Jakarta's budget is so big that sometimes the local administration has a headache spending all the money while governors elsewhere complain about budget shortfalls.
Back to our subject. Let us look at the report in the Friday Jakarta Post and the announcement of the Jakarta Police Traffic Management Center (TMC) the same day. The two reports point to a risk for the governor in terms of leadership credibility because the city's traffic infrastructure isn't improving and the administration isn't doing anything about it.
This newspaper quoted the governor's own staff as complaining that the number of busway passengers had steadily been decreasing since the time the governor opened up certain busway routes to private vehicles late last year following public outcry.
The governor may have confused motorists making them think the special busway lanes were open to all.
"Ideally, commuters need only 40 to 50 minutes to travel from Ragunan (in South Jakarta) to Dukuh Atas (in Central Jakarta), but it can take 80 minutes in practice because of those other vehicles also using busway lane," according to Udar Priastono, the City transportation agency deputy head, as quoted by this newspaper.
Meanwhile, according to the TMC as reported by detik.com on Friday, there are 120 severely damaged roads in Jakarta.
There are 53 deep potholes in South Jakarta, such as in Ciputat, Pasar Minggu, Mampang, Jl. Gatot Subroto, Jl. Sudirman, Jl. Pattimura and Jl. Dharmawangsa.
Damaged roads can be found in at least 24 areas of East Jakarta, including Jl. M.T. Haryono, Otista, Jl. Ngurah Rai, Condet and Kampung Melayu. There are no fewer than 18 damaged roads in North Jakarta, including Jl. Yos Sudarso, Pluit and Cilincing. In Central Jakarta there are eight damaged roads, including Jl. Sudirman, while in West Jakarta there are at least 17 damaged roads.
We call on the governor to remain firm in his support for the busway system and go ahead with his original plans, not just because the service has helped thousands of commuters every day in Jakarta, but also because the project has cost the public and local authorities dearly. It is true the governor must make significant improvements; but it is also true the governor's own leadership is at stake if he backs down on busway programs because of public pressure.
On the damaged roads, many Jakartans were angry when City officials blamed rain and financial problems. It is true that heavy rain over the past few weeks has hurt roads. But Jakartans also know that many roads in Jakarta were in poor condition long before the rainy season.
City streets have been in bad shape for years, the number of potholes is increasing and city authorities aren't paying serious attention to repair efforts.
There are many examples of shoddy road maintenance. It is hard to deny that corruption plays an important role in such projects.
Let the expert handles it! That was Fauzi's central campaign theme last year. Now the governor has less time to prove it. [Jakarta Post - Editorial: Busway and deadly roads] more

Benahi Layanan Busway

TAJUK RENCANA II - SUARA PEMBARUAN

Keberadaan sarana transportasi jalur khusus (busway) di Ibukota Jakarta ternyata memang diperlukan. Sebagai bukti, lihatlah, begitu banyak jumlah penumpang yang rela antre di halte-halte khusus tempat persinggahan bus Transjakarta. Antrean panjang terjadi pada saat jam-jam berangkat dan pulang kantor. Khusus di jalur "gemuk" seperti Blok M - Kota, antrean hampir terjadi sepanjang waktu. Membludaknya jumlah penumpang bus Transjakarta itu menunjukkan bahwa sarana transportasi tersebut memang sangat dibutuhkan warga.

Busway memang dibangun dengan tujuan agar warga bisa menggunakan sarana transportasi umum dengan nyaman dan aman. Lebih dari itu, jalur khusus ini membuat perjalanan nyaris bebas macet karena tidak bersaing dengan kendaraan lainnya. Selain menggunakan jalur khusus, bus yang disediakan juga didesain khusus sehingga perjalanan bisa lebih nyaman. Halte untuk menunggu bus juga dibuat khusus. Berbeda dengan fasilitas yang disediakan untuk bus kota regular yang kondisinya sangat memprihatinkan. Selain penuh sesak, masih harus tertahan jika jalanan sedang macet.

Sangat disayangkan bahwa kenyamanan yang ditawarkan busway hanya bertahan dalam hitungan bulan. Setelah warga DKI Jakarta dan sekitarnya menikmati kenyamanan busway, mereka kini harus siap berjejal antre untuk menunggu bus Transjakarta. Mereka harus menunggu beberapa bus yang datang kemudian karena hanya beberapa orang yang bisa diangkut karena penumpang sudah penuh. Di dalam bus, mereka juga tetap harus rela berdiri dan berjejal dengan penumpang lainnya.

Memang sangat disayangkan bahwa sarana transportasi yang dibangun oleh Pemerintah Provinsi DKI Jakarta itu tidak dikelola dengan baik sehingga dikeluhkan oleh warga. Jumlah penumpang yang demikian besar ternyata tidak diimbangi dengan ketersediaan armada bus yang mencukupi. Hal itu menunjukkan buruknya manajemen transportasi busway, seolah tidak ada perencanaan dalam operasionalisasi jalur khusus tersebut. Walaupun pengelolaan diserahkan ke swasta, namun masyarakat tetap akan menuding Pemprov DKI Jakarta tidak mampu memberikan layanan yang baik kepada warganya.

Salah satu penyebab terjadinya antrean panjang penumpang adalah adanya pembatasan jumlah armada bus yang beroperasi. Ternyata hal itu terjadi karena terbatasnya biaya operasional yang selama ini masih disubsidi. Menurut Badan Layanan Umum (BLU) Transjakarta, subsidi operasional busway melalui APBD yang semula diusulkan Rp 275 miliar, ternyata disetujui DPRD sebesar Rp 203 miliar. Pemotongan anggaran tersebut berdampak pada pengurangan jumlah armada busway yang dioperasikan.

Oleh karena itulah, BLU Transjakarta mengusulkan untuk menaikkan tarif penumpang dari Rp 3.500 menjadi Rp 5.000. Kenaikan harga tiket itu diharapkan bisa memberikan pelayanan yang lebih baik dengan cara menambah jumlah armada bus yang beroperasi. Alasan usulan kenaikan tarif busway tersebut memang cukup kuat. Bagi sebagian penumpang, menambah biaya Rp 1.500 tidak akan menjadi masalah asalkan mereka tidak berlama-lama antre di halte, dan mereka bisa naik bus dengan nyaman.

Kita berharap pengelola bus Transjakarta maupun Pemprov DKI Jakarta memberikan pelayanan yang sebaik-baiknya kepada warganya, terutama dalam pengoperasian busway. Jangan sampai proyek yang awalnya menuai protes dan kemudian menarik simpati ini menunjukkan kinerja yang buruk. Oleh karena itu, pelayanan harus ditingkatkan karena dari situlah masyarakat bisa menilai apakah busway memang bermanfaat untuk warganya atau justru hanya sebuah proyek untuk menghambur-hamburkan uang rakyat.
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Affordable bus fares

The opening of new busway routes in Jakarta indicates that the system, established in 2004, has received a positive response from the public. Since its establishment, the busway, the seed for an envisioned comprehensive Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, has grown to include three routes. The first is from Blok M (South Jakarta) to Kota (downtown); the second from Pulo Gadung (East Jakarta) to Harmoni (downtown); and the third from Harmoni to Kalideres (West Jakarta). Several more routes are in the construction phase.

With its fleet of TransJakarta buses, the busway has enjoyed growing popularity among residents. While there has not been any thorough research done on the subject, it is generally accepted that more and more people are leaving their cars at home and taking TransJakarta buses to the office.

Several new busway corridors will open this year. These new routes will connect Pulo Gadung and Hotel Indonesia; Kampung Melayu (East Jakarta) and Ancol (North Jakarta); Ragunan Zoo (South Jakarta) and Kuningan; and Kampung Rambutan (East Jakarta) and Kampung Melayu, also in East Jakarta.

However, as the city administration opens new routes it will have to spend more money subsidizing the busway's operations.

Once the new corridors are launched this year the administration will have to allocate Rp 382 billion to subsidize busway services. However, the administration appears to be rethinking the decision to so heavily subsidize the system. This despite the fact that the busway is part of the public transportation system, which in other countries are subsidized by the government because these countries recognize it is their duty to provide safe and reliable public transportation for citizens.

With a one-way ticket on the busway costing Rp 3,500 per person, the city administration has spent about Rp 100 billion a year subsidizing the system since its introduction.

A passenger traveling on the busway from Blok M to Ratu Plaza pays Rp 3,500, the same price as a person taking the same bus from Blok M to its final stop in Kota. Those going from Pulo Gadung to Kalideres will pay Rp 7,000; Rp 3,500 for Pulo Gadung to Harmoni, and another Rp 3,500 for Harmoni to Kalideres.

The administration and the City Council have been working on a solution to curb the subsidy, and the tentative solution they seem to have arrived at is to increase the TransJakarta fare from Rp 3,500 to Rp 5,000 per trip.

By increasing the fare the subsidy is expected to drop to Rp 100 billion, according to the chairman of the council's transportation commission, Sayogo Hendrosubroto.

This solution sounds reasonable in terms of keeping the subsidy down. But in terms of keeping the busway fare affordable for the majority of people, the planned fare hike needs to be reconsidered. The busway was designed to become the embryo for a comprehensive MRT system, with the understanding that the system should be able to transport as many as people as possible as quickly as possible.

If the number of passengers falls due to rising fares, the objective of the Mass Rapid Transit system cannot be achieved. The system will be rapid but will lose the mass aspect by pricing too many people out of the system.

If the busway fare is raised to Rp 5,000 per trip, a person traveling from Pulo Gadung to Kalideres would have to spend Rp 20,000 for a round trip, which would work out to Rp 400,000 a month if the trip was taken five days a week.

This will discourage people from taking TransJakarta busses and encourage them to buy motorcycles on installment plans, meaning the busway will have failed in its goal.

There must be some other solution. The busway fare must be affordable, but at the same time the city administration should not have to spend so much subsidizing the system.

Changing the ticketing system could be one alternative. People traveling to Ratu Plaza from Blok M should not have to purchase a full-price ticket to Kota. A ticketing system similar to ones used in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore should be considered. In these cities, passengers pay different amounts depending on the distance they are traveling. Such a system could be more acceptable to both passengers and the city administration.

However, such a ticketing system would probably require more of an investment, but the results would justify the expense.
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Toward better transportation

The Jakarta Post

When first introduced to Jakarta two years ago the busway drew skepticism, to say the least, as residents and observers questioned Governor Sutiyoso's determination to import the system from Bogota, Colombia.

This skepticism was understandable from residents tired of top-down policies that were usually politicized. The busway was also new to Jakartans, and construction on the system took up existing roadways and resulted in many trees being cut down.

Environmentalists protested, and some non-governmental organizations raised concern about the possibility of corruption among officials in charge of the project. In the initial weeks after the first busway corridor opened, it added to congestion along parts of the route.

It seemed unlikely the busway would ever win many fans in the capital, or prove itself capable of helping to straighten out the city's messy traffic.

Slowly though, the busway, which is meant to encourage commuters to leave their cars at home, has showed its worth.

Despite a lack of feeder services for most of the city, more and more car owners have abandoned their vehicles for TransJakarta buses. Many people who live in Bintaro, South Jakarta, and work in or near Kota, for example, are using one of the few feeder services available to get to the Ratu Plaza stop on Jl. Sudirman, where they take the busway to their offices.

As the original busway corridor was coming into its own, Sutiyoso announced two more corridors would be opened. Again there were protests as more trees were felled to make way for the corridors, and as construction tied up traffic.

Never one to be dissuaded, Sutiyoso officially opened the two new corridors -- from Pulogadung in East Jakarta to Harmoni in Central Jakarta, and from Harmoni to Kalideres in West Jakarta -- last Sunday.

Nobody argues that Jakarta traffic has grown more and more chaotic by the day. And more and more vehicles join the fray daily. Despite higher taxes to discourage the ownership of private vehicles, people continue to buy cars. This can be taken as a pretty good indication of what most people think about the public transportation options available in the city.

More than three million cars hit the streets of Jakarta each day, and that number grows by about 7 percent each year. Add to that the swarms of motorcycles that seem to be everywhere in the capital, which is already home to almost five million of these vehicles, a figure that grows by about 15 percent annually.

The Japanese International Cooperation Agency predicted in a 2004 study that by 2020 motorists in Jakarta would be traveling at an average speed of 10 kilometers per hour.

The only answer to the capital's traffic woes is a mass rapid transit (MRT) system. However, this city of some 12 million people has not taken a single step of any note toward creating such a system. In the absence of an MRT, the busway seems to be the best public transportation option for Jakartans.

To increase the effectiveness of the busway and encourage more people to get out of their cars, several new traffic policies are being considered. These include raising parking fees and imposing a toll on all cars entering the capital's main traffic arteries, including Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Thamrin.

Hiring women drivers, who wear black blazers when on duty, is also a way to convey the message to passengers that the busway is safer and "more humane" than other city buses, with their drivers speeding through traffic and ignoring pretty much every traffic rule on the books.

As predicted by Sutiyoso, in the first few days of operation of the two new busway corridors, the TransJakarta buses have created traffic problems at spots along the routes. Clearly, some adjustment is called for among the busway drivers and other drivers along the routes.

The ongoing construction of the Harmoni central busway stop is also creating serious traffic problems.

But for only Rp 3,500 a passenger can, for example, travel from Harmoni to Kalideres in less than an hour, a trip that would take at least 90 minutes in a car or regular public bus because of the traffic.

Once the shortcomings of the busway system are dealt with and more feeder services are available, part of the city's ground transportation problems will have been addressed.

But the city administration cannot force people to leave their cars at home and take the busway. Better services, better safety and improved punctuality are major factors that will determine whether people take the TransJakarta buses. So, with an MRT system still far, far away, it is essential the busway system be made a reliable mode of transportation..
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Busway: Six months after

The Jakarta Post | It may seem somewhat premature to judge Jakarta's six-month-old busway system's failure or success. Nevertheless, after that time span, a thorough evaluation is certainly appropriate.

Many Jakartans seem unaware that the much-criticized busway system, adopted from Bogota, Colombia, has been in operation on Jakarta's crowded roads since January 15, this year.

Much of the criticism derives from the city administration's poor preparation in providing the proper infrastructure for the project. The felling of trees along major thoroughfares was another flaw, in terms of its environmental impact.

However, despite public skepticism, and the city's seemingly incurable transportation headache, the administration apparently perceived that the busway was the best solution.

So, even as the construction of a monorail system has begun and a subway project is in the works, Jakartans have no choice but to accept the busway as a permanent fixture. Under such circumstances, a question bashfully rears its head: Yes, but -- has the busway actually cured that nagging headache?

Admittedly, the decreasing use of private cars is one indication that the busway has answered the call for a better system of transport. Indeed, one of the main objectives of the busway was to discourage people from driving their cars to and from work.

For only Rp 2,500, residents can now travel from Blok M, South Jakarta, to the commercial district of downtown Kota in less than 30 minutes aboard an air-conditioned TransJakarta bus. Viewed from these aspects: low fares, comfort and a short traveling time, the busway system has so far provided one welcome solution to that baffling problem.

However, the busway has not convinced people that driving their car to work is not the best option, despite the fact that TransJakarta buses transport a total of 46,000 passengers a day, exceeding the target of only 20,000 passengers. Could this be because car owners cannot find a safe place to park their vehicles from nine to five? Likewise, the "three-in-one" regulation has hardly encouraged people to board the bus.

So, while waiting for car owners to change their habits, the administration would do well to think about providing parking lots where car owners can leave their cars safely until the evening, when they go home from work.

Another serious factor that must be addressed is the provision of adequate, safe, smooth and comfortable feeder lines from residential areas to busway corridors.

It is not easy for residents living in Ciledug -- a district located in Tangerang bordering the southern part of Jakarta -- to go to Kota by TransJakarta bus. Those residents would have to spend hours traveling by bus or taxi -- or any other means of transportation available -- from Ciledug to Blok M, just to take the TransJakarta bus to Kota.

Therefore, inter-provincial or inter-municipal cooperation between the administrations of Jakarta, and those of its surrounding areas, is a must to provide an integrated and interlinked system of transportation to support the busway.

Pedestrians, too, need to be given easy access to busway transit stations. Safe ramps connecting sidewalks and busway stations must be made available, since even sidewalks are part of the system.

All these matters should be properly addressed before the city administration goes ahead with the construction of busway corridors II and III, stretching from Kalideres in West Jakarta to Monas in Central Jakarta, and from Pulogadung in East Jakarta to Monas. Only then will Jakarta be able to boast of having a truly integrated system of mass transportation, capable of adequately serving the capital city's population of more-than -ten-million.
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Another busway corridor

The Jakarta Post

The Jakarta administration's decision to set up another busway corridor, from Pulo Gadung in East Jakarta to Kalideres in West Jakarta via Monas in Central Jakarta, has drawn various reactions.

Some people are of the view that the plan to construct the new busway route deserves support. Others, however, say that the problems with the existing route from Blok M to Kota should be dealt with first before expanding the system.

Those who support the idea -- the city officials among them -- believe that the busway system will help ease the traffic along those routes. The system is faster than any other means of public transport available at present, so the city needs more busway corridors, especially for routes that are severely congested, so they argue.

On the other hand, those who do not agree with the expansion of the system argue that the problems brought about by the existing busway infrastructure have yet to be dealt with properly.

The routes to and from Pulo Gadung and Kalideres are congested each day, and -- considering the Blok M - Kota experience -- the skeptics fear that the new busway corridor will cause new problems.

According to Bambang Susanto, the secretary-general of the Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia-Pacific, there are several problems relating to safety and security, reliability and affordability of the transJakarta bus system that need to be assessed before more are built.

Security and punctuality are the most important factors that can persuade people to keep commuting on the new buses.

It is interesting to recall Governor Sutiyoso's remark that the busway would not solve the city's chaotic traffic jams. The governor has also said that the busway system would put the administration's reputation at stake.

But those among us who have lived in Jakarta since the 1970s will readily acknowledge that traffic was already chaotic even then. However, things have grown worse over the past couple of decades, in step with the rapidly increasing number of vehicles, a fact that neither the central government nor the Jakarta provincial administration seem to be able to contain.

The increases in population, which have led to the decrease of space available for the building of new roads, is another serious problem. Unfortunately, law enforcement has been very weak.

The phenomenal increase in the number of private cars in recent years could be seen as an accomplishment by the car retailers in their bid to fulfill the people's demand for independent and safe transportation. Prestige is another reason people prefer private cars.

Sutiyoso has acknowledged that the increased use of private cars is a reflection of the public's pressing need for a public transportation network that meets the minimal standards of cleanliness, comfort and safety.

In the meantime, while waiting for the most appropriate mode of public transportation to be put in place for the capital city's more than nine million people, the busway system can be considered a breakthrough.

Everybody agrees that Jakarta desperately needs a mass rapid transit system. Unfortunately, nobody seems to be able to determine what kind of system would be the most appropriate for Jakarta.

The city administration is facing many constraints, especially those of a financial or socio-cultural nature, and it does not have the money to do what needs to be done. Besides, it is not easy to find space for the construction of infrastructure such as is needed for a subway or an overhead monorail system.

But whatever people may say, it seems that the city administration is determined that the 33 kilometers of new busway corridors must begin construction next month and become operational by April 2005.

The expansion of the busway system reflects the administration's serious efforts to solve one aspect of Jakarta's traffic problems, but its record of tackling the core problems remains poor.

At least Rp 600 billion (about US$67.4 million) is needed for the new busway corridor project. That amount includes the purchase of 187 buses.

As it is a giant project involving a huge amount of money, transparence in the drawing up of business plans that involve the private sector is a must. To eliminate or, at the every least, reduce the possibility of malfeasance, open and fair bidding for the project is imperative.
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Transportation woes

The Jakarta Post | Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, basking in the "achievement" of launching the Trans-Jakarta busway service on Thursday, may well qualify as this week's most boastful official.

For the governor, the launching of the project, despite its shortcomings, was like the lifting of a heavy burden from his shoulders. The project was proof of his compassion for the little people, he said during the busway launching ceremony, his face beaming with self-righteous pride.

The euphoria remains

Because the busway system is only two days old, it is too early to tell whether it is a solution to Jakarta's traffic woes, regardless of the controversial construction phase of the project, which included the chopping down of some of the city's few remaining trees to make way for busway stations.

There are some things that both Jakarta residents and the authorities should take into account as the busway officially opens for business on Feb. 1, when passengers will be required to buy tickets to ride the Trans-Jakarta buses between Blok M and Kota.

Several points along the route where the Trans-Jakarta buses and other vehicles meet seem likely to become permanent bottlenecks, including at the Pemuda Statue, the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle and the Olimo intersection.

For residents, the busway will reintroduce some of the old habits of commuting; passengers will have to buy their tickets before getting on the bus, something that disappeared from the capital more than 10 years ago.

As Jakarta officials have worked all out to make the busway a success, they must also think about the practical future of the system, particularly maintenance. Many people say that maintaining a project is more difficult than starting it up.

Vandalism must be prevented and security aboard the buses must be maintained. Many people are already skeptical about the chances of a police officer always being around to keep the criminals at bay.

In fact, the busway is only part of the overall transportation system for the increasingly chaotic capital, which is chronically lacking in a grand and integrated transportation system.

Sutiyoso has said that by 2010, Jakarta will have a macro-transportation system with another 14 busway corridors, a monorail connecting Tangerang in the west and Bekasi to the east, a subway linking the southern and the northern parts of the city, as well as a river transportation network.

All this within the next six years, with another Rp 120 billion provided by the city administration for the next busway project -- in addition to the Rp 120 billion the administration spent for the first busway.

To many, Sutiyoso's statements sound like pure fantasy, but what the city needs is an intermodal transportation system. We need an integrated plan to connect all modes of transportation, starting from the outlying residential areas to the central business district where people work.

Currently, each mayoralty has its own transportation plan. Operation permits are issued to motorcycle taxis, minibuses and other transportation providers with no overall vision for a larger, intermodal system.

This means the feeder lines for the busway have not been taken into account by the city administration. If the feeder lines are lacking, how can people get to the busway stations? And if these feeder lines remain congested, what is the use of clear busway lanes?

As even Sutiyoso has acknowledged the busway will not solve the city's traffic woes, the administration should begin a grand integrated transportation system to encourage people to get to work by public transportation, instead of in private cars.

One more thing: with Sutiyoso's term ending in 2007, the next governor must have a clearer vision of the city's transportation system.
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