Going hybrid

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 09/26/2007 3:23 PM  |  Opinion

The car-free day sounds more like a Beijing-copycat -- which serves no real purpose. Beijing did it to test for better air quality for the Olympics, but we do not have such a special occasion.

The only realistic solution for our pollution crisis is to use only hybrid cars -- and the technology is already here.

Jakarta, being one of the most polluted mega cities in the world, should try to be at the forefront in applying this new technology.

These cars consume far less petrol than the conventional ones (imagine burning up only 1 liter of petrol for 30 kilometers!) and would help improve the air quality tremendously.

Economically speaking, having green cars around sooner in our country would also help uplift people's living standards.

Public transportation could lower its fees because public vehicles would consume less petrol for longer journeys.

People will spend less money on transport and this will increase their disposable income.

Also, as the people consume less petrol, the government will have more room to either cut or erase the entire oil subsidy. The state will have a healthier budget.

Right now, hybrid cars are premiering in the West, but there is no reason why Indonesia should not jump queue.

Jakarta can offer itself to be a massive city-wide pilot project for these green cars. There are many things that the government can do.

In order to aggressively push the public transport into adopting this green concept, it can give incentives such as road tax breaks and for company cars, at an accelerated depreciation rate.

To discourage people from buying convention cars, the government can impose a new pollution tax if needed be.

On the supply side, it can always negotiate with hybrid car manufacturers to entice them to market their new products here.

This is a far more practical option to reduce air pollution -- and much better than declaring car-free zones, which often cause inconveniences to many people.

Beside all the practical benefits, having it sooner can give Jakarta, Indonesia as a whole, a better image within the international community which is getting more sensitive on environmental issues.

S. WIRAWAN
Jakarta

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