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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Obat (Mujarab) Bernama Dewan Transportasi Kota?

[Kompas] TUJUAN utama desentralisasi dan otonomi daerah adalah bagaimana kita, khususnya eksekutif–pemerintah daerah–berlomba menyejahterakan warganya sebagai kompensasi dari pajak dan aktivitas ekonomi lainnya yang telah mereka berikan. Gubernur Sutiyoso selaku kepala operasional pemerintahan daerah yang tentunya bekerja sama dengan DPRD mempunyai wewenang dan kewajiban untuk menetapkan kebijakan yang terbaik bagi masyarakat dan wilayahnya, termasuk kebijakan transportasi kota di DKI.

Contoh kecil dari masalah transportasi di wilayah DKI yang paling mudah ditangkap publik adalah masalah pertumbuhan bus kota yang beroperasi, yang sangat jauh dari kebutuhan penumpang yang diangkut setiap hari. Dari tahun 2001 ke 2002, misalnya, hanya 15 bus! [source]

Dewan Transportasi Kota (DTK) sebagai institusi yang direncanakan lahir untuk ikut berperan dalam pembenahan permasalahan transportasi di kota yang telanjur rumit dan banyak masalah ini adalah wujud pengakuan dan kepedulian pemda terhadap peran serta publik dan keterbatasan kemampuan pemda dalam membenahi sektor transportasi.

Pasal 98 Ayat (1) Peraturan Daerah (Perda) Nomor 12 Tahun 2003 menyebutkan, tugas dewan ini adalah menampung aspirasi masyarakat dan memberikan bahan pertimbangan terhadap penyusunan kebijakan pemda dalam bidang transportasi. Kedua tugas pokok ini akan terwujud apabila DTK menunjukkan "kesungguhan" dalam menjalankan amanah tersebut. Adanya kesungguhan tadi tentunya tidak akan pernah terlepas dari siapa yang duduk sebagai anggota dewan dan apa yang akan dilakukan dewan.

Keanggotaan dewan tidak serta-merta harus seorang yang pintar keintelektualannya di bidang transportasi atau figur yang dikenal publik. Lebih daripada itu, masyarakat butuh sosok yang mau "mengabdikan" keilmuan, moral, dan idealismenya untuk pembenahan transportasi menuju sistem yang dibangun berdasarkan karakter dan kebutuhan nyata publik secara umum.

Sosok itu setidaknya akan mampu menciptakan ruang sosial dan politik yang betul-betul menerjemahkan substansi pembenahan sistem daripada sekadar menjalankan tugas "menampung aspirasi" secara an sich.

PENULIS yang juga salah satu fasilitator pembentukan dewan ini ingat sekali ketika sebagian besar peserta konsultasi publik sepakat bahwa peran dewan tidak hanya pasif menunggu keluhan atau pengaduan dari masyarakat, tetapi juga aktif memberikan pertimbangan kepada eksekutif dan legislatif. Oleh karena itu, untuk mendukung peran tersebut, dewan ini memiliki sejumlah komisi yang diharapkan mampu menjawab persoalan transportasi dewasa ini dan yang akan datang.

Komisi-komisi tersebut adalah a) komisi tarif angkutan (yang mampu dibayar masyarakat), b) komisi hukum dan kebijakan, c) komisi kelaikan dan keselamatan fasilitas sarana dan prasarana, d) komisi penelitian dan pengembangan, dan e) komisi pendidikan dan hubungan masyarakat.

Inventarisasi terhadap ruang lingkup dan masalah transportasi yang dipandang "sexy" oleh publik harus ditindaklanjuti dengan kajian dan rekomendasi kepada eksekutif agar menjadi "benih kepercayaan" di mata masyarakat terhadap eksistensi dewan ini. Lingkup masalah itu meliputi praktik uji kir angkutan umum, evaluasi terhadap kebijakan three in one, pembuktian asumsi terhadap jumlah trayek yang melebihi kebutuhan, dan daya kapasitas lingkungan.

Program yang dibangun dan dikembangkan oleh DTK dapat juga bersifat high profile. Tengok saja banyaknya ketentuan yang harus ditindaklanjuti oleh keputusan gubernur untuk mengimplementasikan beberapa ketentuan dalam Perda Nomor 12 Tahun 2003. Hal ini berpotensi menghambat daya penegakan perda itu sendiri karena tidak berjalannya pasal-pasal yang hendak dilaksanakan (harus menunggu keputusan gubernur terlebih dahulu).

Kondisi di atas dapat menjadi "peluang" dan dapat dimanfaatkan oleh DTK untuk "membantu" lahirnya keputusan gubernur yang memiliki substansi hukum yang memenuhi unsur good norm dan partisipatif. Peran ini juga mendorong penegakan perda itu secara penuh. Sebaliknya, eksekutif jangan pernah berpikir bahwa DTK nantinya hanya "diterima" sebatas sebagai pelaku atau pelaksana ketika konsep transportasi sudah ditetapkan atau dimobilisasi untuk mendukungnya.

Semua yang dijalankan dewan terbingkai dalam sebuah visi yang telah disepakati bersama, yaitu untuk menjadikan lembaga yang independen dan tepercaya dalam hal pengembangan kebijakan sistem transportasi berkelanjutan dengan mewujudkan peran serta masyarakat.

Tingkat penerimaan masyarakat terhadap dewan ini akan berbalik 180 derajat manakala kehadirannya tidak membawa pengaruh positif terhadap masyarakat. Kemungkinan ini sangat terbuka bila keinginan duduk di DTK hanya untuk mengejar fasilitas.

Di antara harapan dan kekhawatiran tersebut, kehadiran DTK sebaiknya tidak dianggap sebagai satu-satunya "obat" untuk mengobati semua penyakit yang terdapat pada kehidupan transportasi di Ibu Kota ini. Masyarakat dan media serta legislatif juga menjadi aktor utama dalam pembenahan sistem dan kebijakan transportasi. Peran yang dapat dimainkan adalah bagaimana turut mengawasi, mengkritik, dan mengoreksi kebijakan eksekutif pada bidang transportasi. Tidak ada salahnya juga turut pula mengontrol peran dan kinerja dari DTK.

Ari Mohammad Legal and Policy Analysis Clean Air Project, Swisscontact
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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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Busway, pinnacle of sustainable environmental degradation

The Jakarta Post

Nirwono Joga,
Chairman, Indonesian Landscape Architecture Study Group, Jakarta

The current debate about the busway project has dealt with the muddled transportation system and worsening traffic. Its impact on environmental degradation, however, has escaped our attention. Jakarta's arbitrary urban management makes its concept of sustainable urban development mere rhetoric, triggering an environmental crisis and leads to ecological suicide.

The Jakarta provincial administration has introduced various environmental conservation programs, beginning with its 1970 urban regreening drive to its Green Jakarta Program last year. What has come of these schemes?

In fact, a complicated procedure is required for the felling of a single tree in the city. Based on Article 8 of Regional Regulation No. 11/1988 on public order within Jakarta city limits, offenders are liable to three months in prison or a Rp 50,000 fine, besides millions to billions of rupiah of law enforcement fees, as in the case of tree felling on Bank Indonesia premises. What, then, if trees are cut down by the Jakarta administration?

In the 2000-2010 Jakarta Spatial Master Plan, the city government calculates that Jakarta still needs to plant 6,202,816 trees out of the 2010 target of 10,812,500. Meanwhile, the daily felling rate of 10 trees remains uncontrolled and without significant punitive measures.

The city's regreening program is not supported by professional tree management activities. As a component of green spaces, trees obviously need serious maintenance instead of frequent neglect, and this effort should be thoroughly planned. The city administrations of Boston, New York, Melbourne and Sydney allocate 85 percent of their annual budget for 3 to 5 years' maintenance of trees, with the remaining 15 percent used for planning and construction.

The busway system, which cost Rp 118 billion last year, plus another Rp 120 billion this year and Rp 15 billion for the road widening project has obviously affected the median strip with its shady trees.

Why do trees deserve protection and conservation in a city? Trees constitute long-term and potential assets and investment of a city, while at the same time they possess economic, ecological, educational and certainly esthetic values.

Trees are capable of holding underground water deposits at a rate of 20 liters daily, whereas men need two liters of water daily. At a price of Rp 400 per liter of water, a single tree saves water costs by Rp 800 a day, Rp 24,000 a month or Rp 292,000 a year per person.

As a producer of oxygen (O2), trees absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) and air pollutant gases, a function that is as yet irreplaceable. Every hour, a hectare of green foliage can absorb 8kg of CO2, equivalent to the amount of CO2 exhaled by around 200 men within the same time span. A 1,600m2 plot can produce 14,000 liters of oxygen per person. If one liter of oxygen costs Rp 10, a tree has again saved oxygen costs by Rp 140,000 a day, Rp 4.2 million a month or Rp 51.1 million a year.

What does the busway system have to do with the environment? The absence of accurate planning is apparent in the construction of bus shelters and pedestrian bridges. Dozens of trees were sacrificed for these structures and the ongoing road widening project has also destroyed the median strip. Latest reports say at least 10 trees have been felled for the road widening.

The busway project has thus considerably degraded the quality of air from the Sudirman-Thamrin corridor, alternative lanes, to the extended 3-in-1 zones.

Jakarta's environmental management agency reported in 2003 that Pondok Indah, Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Senayan and Jl. Casablanca topped the ranks in air pollution. The three areas actually retain green spaces and sufficient numbers of trees, but have now been incorporated into the busway route, as in the case of the GBK, and three-in-one alternative roads, as with Pondok Indah and Casablanca.

Thirty vulnerable points of congestion and limited capacity alternative lanes have experienced an increase in jams, causing traffic to be stagnant long enough to emit air pollutants to adjacent locations that are anyway dry and hot without adequate greenbelt corridors. The air quality of alternative roads like Kota, Grogol, Slipi, Tanah Abang, Warung Buncit, Fatmawati, Pasar Minggu and Lebak Bulus is predicted to be worsening.

Apart from the increasingly congested traffic, the declining number of trees reduces their capacity to absorb and process carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and lead (Pb), which comprise 80 percent of Jakarta's air pollutants.

To a certain extent, air pollution can cause infertility, upper respiratory infections, nausea, vomiting, headaches and skin cancer.

From 1965 to the present, various regional policies have slashed open targeted green spaces, felling hundreds of thousands of trees. From the 37.2 percent green space target in Jakarta's 1965-1985 Master Plan, the figures have declined to 25.85 percent in the 1985-2005 Master Plan and even further to 13.94 percent, or a mere 9,545ha in the 2000-2010 scheme. In actuality, open spaces constitute only 9.04 percent, or 6,190ha of the 66,152ha city area.

Compared to the planned 7.81m2 of open space per person, a 2003 study by the Landscape Development Institute, School of Landscape Architecture and Environment Technology, Trisakti University, calculated the city's need for open space to control air quality through CO2 and pollutant absorption at 23,500ha, or 36 percent. As the target for 2010 is set at only 13.94 percent, this means that Jakarta can only survive with half of the open space requirement or, in physiological terms, akin to a person surviving with only one lung.

Meanwhile, the School of Forestry at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture, in a 2003 study that calculated planted open spaces as water catchment areas, determined that Jakarta needs 15,897ha, or 21.45 percent, of such areas. Based on the 2010 Master Plan target of 13.94 percent, the water resorption capacity will only reach about 54 percent and the remaining unabsorbed water will flood the city.

Regional Regulations No. 11/1988 on public order and No. 9/1999 on environmental preservation and cultural heritage conservation thus need to be improved. The provincial administration can also formulate a regulation on urban landscape conservation to protect the continuity of open spaces as Jakarta's long-term and potential asset and investment.

With the "success" of the controversial transportation and other urban projects so far, the one-way concept of city development will remain a trademark of the Jakarta administration, brushing aside for management and control programs for natural disasters and environmental crises like floods, clean water shortage, contaminated air and water, neighborhood sanitary problems and garbage management issues.
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Congestion charges and proper traffic planning

The Jakarta Post

Michael Garc¡a, Ph.D. Candidate, Cornell University, Jakarta

The city's integrated three-in-one and TransJakarta Busway plan is certainly worth a try. It is evidence that the city administration is willing to do something about Jakarta's traffic problems though Jakartans are wondering why the three-in-one plan and the Busway project were chosen over other options and why no alternative proposals were put before the public.

If well administered a congestion charge would fare better in popularity and effectiveness than the three-in-one part of the new policy. There are no perfect and final solutions but future transportation improvement plans in the capital city must be even more comprehensive than the current temporary fix.

The fundamental goals of setting traffic policy are many: To ease congestion in busy areas, to optimize the rate of traffic flow, to encourage the use of mass transportation, to lower pollution and noise levels, to lower the number of vehicle accidents.

But there are other issues that affect traffic flow that are too easily dismissed because they seem marginal or are considered separate issues. Assimilating pedestrian traffic, bajaj use, and parking are among the interrelated issues.

Two-lane roads such as Jl. Kemang -- a feeder road and oft-used shortcut to Blok M -- are often reduced to one lane because businesses lining the corridor are not encouraged to provide recessed parking lots for their customers.

The dearth of city parking garages makes regulating traffic flow almost impossible by increasing the number of men in orange jumpsuits blocking traffic so that their fare can back into the road whether there is oncoming traffic or not.

Parking garages can be designed so that vehicles reentering traffic must yield the right of way instead of disrupting heavy traffic flows.

The restriction of bajaj to certain roads has been a helpful policy as their erratic darting to and from the curb in search of fares also disrupts smoothly-flowing traffic. But no solutions have been offered to deal with the frequent curb stops and sudden turning of opelet. The opelet are a much more vital part of public transportation than the bajaj -- which travel only very short distances that are often walkable -- but they also cause a great many traffic jams, particularly on the narrower roads they tend to serve.

If the sidewalks were safer and the air in the streets cleaner and quieter more people would be encouraged to walk. Maintaining pedestrian sidewalks that are shady during the day but well-lit at night might currently be cost prohibitive but enforcing emissions standards -- only beginning with buses, trucks and bajaj -- would not be. Enforcing acceptable noise levels on all vehicles would also encourage more people to walk to work, school, or shopping areas when possible.

If the government were to subsidize biodiesel, as it does gasoline and diesel, the new fuel might stand a chance of being adopted by a significant number of users.

In addition to considering more parts of the puzzle traffic policy must influence commuter behavior in positive ways. Effective policy must target long-term, fundamental goals rather than burdening Jakartans with superficial changes that will only be effective for a very short time -- one election term? -- if at all. There are 5-year plans for the economy; is there a 5-year or a 10-year plan for transportation infrastructure? If there is why has the public never been apprised of it? And when will the next public session on future traffic policy be held?

Both the rider policy and the tolls are largely useless or detrimental if they don't contribute to the fundamental goals of easing traffic congestion or encouraging more people to mass commute -- though the tolls can still contribute needed revenue, assuming most of it gets returned to the community in the form of new roads and other infrastructure.

Citizens are told that other forms of public transportation are too costly. A subway or an elevated train are ruled out -- barring the miraculous emergence of a foreign investor -- as mass transportation options for this reason.

And it is because of prohibitive costs that the current solution was modeled on the Bogota bus system rather than on Mexico City's subway or Singapore's combination of subways, fast and clean buses, and restrictive vehicle ownership. If revenue is the issue then why not generate revenue from those who use the roads the most?

No integrated system from another city can be imported directly. Singapore's system works well only for a much more affluent city of about half the size of Jakarta. But Singapore does have one very smart policy that would work in Jakarta -- congestion charging.

The Nobel Prize committee thought the idea of congestion pricing was such a good one that they awarded the 1996 prize in economics to William Vickrey, then a professor of economics at Columbia University, for his work on it.

One common version of congestion pricing involves simply charging a fee from those who are willing to pay a little more for the convenience of using a faster traffic lane, bridge, or tunnel.

Ideally an extra lane can be added instead of appropriating an existing lane. Instead of -- or in addition to -- a Busway in Jakarta an express lane would be opened to anyone willing to pay the toll.

Not only do those who pay the toll get to their destinations faster and with greater ease, but the remaining traffic in the non-toll lanes is reduced, freeing up congestion there as well.

But often another lane cannot be added -- there is simply no room because buildings are in the way or because the congestion zone is a bridge, tunnel, or other expensive structure. Vickrey argued for peak-period tolls in such instances. By Vickrey's account peak-period tolls don't significantly reduce traffic but simply redistribute traffic more evenly to the benefit of all motorists.

The congestion charges motivates drivers among the other three-fourths to be more flexible about when they will enter congested zones or thruways.

The hidden key to the success of congestion pricing is obvious to any Jakartan who has ever been caught in one of the frequent traffic jams at existing toll plazas. Success depends on where the collecting area is located and how fast toll collection is.

London and Singapore are two cities who have put the theory of congestion pricing into praxis. Every vehicle in Singapore is equipped with a debit card reader.

When a driver passes one of the many congestion zone borders a congestion charge, or toll, is automatically deducted from a debit card that must be inserted in the reader during peak hours. Failure to do so results in a fine, one that is swiftly and efficiently enforced with the aid of high-tech ERP (Electronic Road Pricing) detectors mounted on gantries over the road.

Jakarta could not afford such technology, it is argued. But the initial investment in the system and equipment to enforce collection of congestion charges in London will pay for itself in three years. Will the cost of the TransJakarta Busway pay for the cost of new buses and road construction in three years? Will it generate any revenue for future transportation infrastructure improvements?

Congestion pricing would alleviate traffic congestion and generate revenue for future infrastructure. Nevertheless, politicians might be afraid of congestion pricing because they fear their constituents will see it as an unnecessary tax and an unbearable operations burden on sectors of the economy affected by transportation costs.

But, if effective, congestion charges would actually benefit both drivers and industries with high transportation costs.

The writer is currently a Fulbright Researcher in Indonesia.
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The Busway's pebble

The Jakarta Post | It is obviously unfair to judge whether the busway scheme has been successful in saving the capital's public transportation system from greater madness, as it is only eight days old.

However, no one can turn a deaf ear to complaints that the new system is already having problems, despite the public's enthusiasm in enjoying their free rides from Blok M to downtown Kota until Feb. 1, when passengers will be charged Rp 2,500 one-way.

Ordinary motorists and Busway drivers must be extra careful, as there are several points where their paths cross. The situation could become worse if every driver thinks he has a right to race on the roads.

Many newspapers have been critical of the development of the busway system. Only one day after its kickoff, several buses were in trouble: Some had trouble with their automatic doors, others suffered engine problems.

The feeder bus services also posed a problem, as the city administration had yet to make available feeder lines for those living in Ciledug, Lebak Bulus and other parts in southern Jakarta wanting to take the TransJakarta to Kota.

One bus was damaged after hitting an old overhead railroad bridge in Jatinegara, East Jakarta, when the driver tried to skip the established route because he had no money for the toll. The driver said the operator had failed to give him money for the toll and he had no spare money of his own.

While elation among city officials over the successful Jan. 15 launch of the Busway remains palpable, drivers have emerged the main problem in its service.

Wise men say that dealing with people is always complicated. And city officials, trapped as they are in their determination that the dream must become reality, have apparently forgotten that drivers can be a liability to the success of the system.

Five drivers have already been fired for turning up late and for their involvement in accidents, despite their brief training and courses in discipline and driving ethics.

Smart uniforms and a Rp 2 million monthly salary are not enticing enough for several drivers, who had enjoyed take-home pays of between Rp 2.5 million and Rp 2.7 million per month from their previous jobs at regular bus companies.

No wonder several drivers have protested the salary.

The drivers' lack of punctuality has also emerged as a serious problem. A few days ago, 15 drivers decided to go home after the next shift failed to show up on time.

The disgruntled drivers, who had stayed up from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. without a break, said they could no longer tolerate their fellow drivers' failure to show up for work on time. They became even more disappointed after they failed to find anybody from the city transportation agency or the busway operator who could settle such "trivial" problems.

"We need time to eat. It is difficult for us to find even a few spare minutes to relieve ourselves. If such a situation is not properly handled, there is the possibility that we drivers will go on strike," a local paper quoted a driver.

On Thursday, dozens of TransJakarta buses were stuck in a jam after one bus stalled in the corridor. Officials blamed the driver for shifting gears incorrectly.

Looking for new drivers is not difficult in Jakarta, as most job seekers can drive. So it is understandable that Governor Sutiyoso will soon recruit new drivers to replace those leaving. But this also shows that the administration was unprepared in anticipating such driver-related matters.

For Sutiyoso personally, the Jan. 15 launch of the Busway could be politically prestigious, although it cannot get him reelected for a third term -- the maximum allowed by law is two.

City officials, especially Sutiyoso, were determined to realize the Busway -- amid strong public criticism -- merely to prove that they could provide Jakartans with better public transportation -- an effort that obviously deserves a thumbs-up.

However, from the start, the administration's methods in pushing the busway plan triggered much criticism and complaints.

Now that the Busway is running, however, all we can do is wait and see if the administration can maintain what it has achieved.

Given the drivers' complaints and the series of accidents that have occurred, the administration would be well advised to undertake some introspection about whether or not it did the right things before launching the Busway.

Worried about the possibility of bigger problems to come, such as public protests, the administration has deployed hundreds of security officers, including policemen, to guard the 12.9-kilometer Busway route. But the officials' fears has made them miss the problem that has emerged from the inside: The drivers.

City officials should have paid attention to an old Chinese saying: People stumble over a pebble, not over a mountain.
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Sang Bayi Prematur Bernama Busway

Majalah Tempo Edisi. 47/XXXII/19 - 25 Januari 2004
Nasib sebuah kota bukan hanya ditentukan segumpal cita-cita. Nasib sebuah kota juga bukan ditentukan hanya karena sang gubernur ingin dikenang-kenang
sebagai pemimpin yang berjasa. Ada banyak hal yang melibatkan penataannya: perencanaan, perencanaan, perencanaan. Studi lapangan dan perbandingan bagaimana sebuah sistem itu bisa diterapkan di sebuah kota sebesar, segemuk,dan serumit Jakarta.

Transportasi busway adalah sebuah cita-cita untuk menyelesaikan problem transportasi di Jakarta. Sebuah keinginan besar (yang memang terpuji) untuk menciptakan transportasi publik agar penduduk Jakarta tak melulu memenuhi jalan-jalan ini dengan ego dalam bentuk pameran mobil mewah. Tapi marilah tengok sebentar hari-hari awal peluncurannya.

Sejak Kamis pekan lalu, wajah Jakarta segera berubah. Lima puluh enam buah bus Transjakarta berwarna kuning-merah menghiasi koridor Blok M— Kota sepanjang 12,9 kilometer. Iring-iringan bus berlambang burung garuda itu melaju tanpa hambatan. Kontras dengan pemandangan ruas jalan di kiri-kanan yang mengapitnya: ratusan kendaraan merayap, tersendat, bahkan macet total. Mungkin lama-kelamaan para OKB (orang kaya baru) yang mengoleksi sampai delapan buah mobil di rumahnya akan mulai malas memamerkannya di jalan-jalan yang sungguh macet ini.

Sebagai barang baru di kota yang ruwet ini, bus Transjakarta menggairahkan. Para calon penumpang rela ber- desakan sejak pagi di halte dan langsung "menyerbu" busway itu tanpa antre. Karena muatannya melebihi kapasitas, bus ber-AC itu tetap terasa gerah. Penumpang berjejalan, berimpitan, nyaris tak bisa bergerak. Alhasil, bus yang idealnya hanya berpenumpang 55 berdiri dan 31 duduk itu menjadi kian supersesak. Mirip dengan pemandangan di kereta rel listrik kelas ekonomi pada jam sibuk.

Selain perilaku penumpang yang belum disiplin, beberapa sopir bus Transjakarta juga tampak belum mahir mengendalikan kendaraannya, terutama saat bus berhenti di halte. Sejumlah bus harus maju-mundur untuk mencari posisi agar pintunya terbuka. Kekacauan itu menunjukkan ketidakmatangan peluncuran busway. Bagai seorang bayi yang lahir prematur. Amat tergesa.

Kendati tergesa-gesa, Gubernur DKI Jakarta Sutiyoso berprinsip, the show must go on. Tiada yang boleh membatalkan "pentas teater busway" yang telah tergelar. Sutiyoso berambisi menjadikan busway sebagai satu di antara tulang punggung transportasi massal Jakarta di masa depan. Ia ingin menggiring masyarakat untuk terbiasa menggunakan angkutan umum, bukan mobil pribadi.

Nurdin Kalim
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