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Jakartans welcome convenient new Transjakarta corridor
Commuters welcomed the newly launched Transjakarta bus rapid transit Corridor 11, with the hope that the management will maintain its good service and punctuality
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ommuters welcomed the newly launched Transjakarta bus rapid transit Corridor 11, with the hope that the management will maintain its good service and punctuality.
Transjakarta Corridor 11, which was officially launched last week, connects Kampung Melayu to Pulogebang in East Jakarta. The 11.76 kilometer route stops at 16 shelters with a five-minute headway. Some of the stops are connected to residential areas and key municipal infrastructure features such as Jatinegara and Klender stations and the East Jakarta Municipality office.
Hit the road: An articulated Transjakarta Corridor 11 bus waits forpassengers at the East Jakarta Municipality shelter. The city administration has prepared a fl eet of 21 buses to connect an 11.76-kilometer route from Kampung Melayu to Pulogebang in East Jakarta. JP/Wendra Ajistyatama
Although the last stop at Pulogebang bus terminal is not yet in operation, commuters found the new corridor a better alternative to public minivans and buses.
“I am glad that they’ve used new buses. They are spacious and can carry more passengers,” said Farina Yahya, a resident living in Penggilingan, East Jakarta.
Farina said that she would use the Transjakarta bus to reach places like Blok M shopping center, Salemba or Merdeka Square in Central Jakarta.
“It is more comfortable going around in a Transjakarta bus and it is cheaper,” she said.
The mother of one, however, complained about the crowded bus. “I hope more buses will be deployed for the new route,” she said.
As many as 21 articulated buses operated by state-run bus company PT Damri serve the route. The operator has also installed three surveillance cameras in each bus. A camera is placed near each of the bus’ two doors while one camera is located near the driver’s cab.
“Should an accident occur, we can accurately analyze what caused the crash,” said Syahito, an onboard officer.
Syahito said that the passengers had welcomed the new route. “More and more people have started taking this route in the first six days of operation,” he said.
In normal traffic, the Kampung Melayu-Pulogebang route can be completed within 30 minutes. However, the bus can take more than 50 minutes during peak traffic times.
“Among the congestion logjams are Jl. Raya Bekasi Barat and Jl. Raya Bekasi Timur, Perumnas Klender housing complex, and Jatinegara station. The limited width of the road makes it impossible to set up an exclusive lane all along the way, so congestion is inevitable,” he said.
Another passenger, Yuliani Astuti, said that she hoped the congestion would not affect the buses’ punctuality.
“The Transjakarta Busway should be better organized than ordinary public transportation. I will use this bus regularly if I can rely on its punctuality,” she said.
She said that the new route would give her better connectivity with other Transjakarta corridors.
“With this new route, I can be connected to Tanjung Priok port or Kampung Rambutan terminal without incurring extra expense,” she said.
The interconnectivity system enables commuters to change buses to travel throughout the network by only paying Rp 3,500 (less than US 40 cents) for a single ticket.
“I hope, unlike the deteriorating service on other corridors, the management will maintain the punctual headway and keep up the service and look after the facilities,” Yuliani said.
Transjakarta Corridor 11 is the latest project from the Jakarta administration to provide a proper system of public transportation.
With a total of 11 routes, crisscrossing the capital and covering more than 172 kilometers, Transjakarta is now the longest and most extensive bus rapid transit system in the world.
Another route is due to be opened next year, with three more routes planned.
Transjakarta has a total of 524 buses in its fleet, serving more than seven million passengers every month. The city administration reported that the buses had carried more than 100 million passengers last year. (lfr)
