T

he Transjakarta feeder-bus service linking Pulogadung and Bekasi terminals, which had temporarily halted operations since March 29, has hit the road again after the Bekasi Transportation Agency made changes to the route.

Supandi Budiman, the agency’s head, said on Monday that three buses were deployed on Saturday and Sunday and had carried at least 130 passengers.

“We are not discouraged by the small number of passengers. What’s important is that the buses are operating again,” he said.

On Monday, the agency also deployed three buses.

Previously, the Pulogadung–Bekasi feeder bus service was protested by public minibus drivers plying Bekasi and Jakarta routes. The drivers said the feeder busway overlapped with their routes and could harm their incomes. The drivers demanded that the feeder service be scrapped.

The Bekasi Transportation Agency, along with its Jakarta counterpart, eventually changed the feeder route to prevent it from overlapping with minibus routes.

The feeder buses previously departed from Pulogadung terminal, traveled along the Cakung toll road, the Jakarta–Cikampek road, East Bekasi tollgate, Jl. Chairil Anwar and Jl. Cut Meutia before arriving at Bekasi terminal.

“Now the route is different,” Supandi said.

The new route connects Pulogadung and Bekasi terminals via Pulomas, Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan, the Jakarta inner ring road, the Halim toll road section, the Jakarta–Cikampek toll road and the West Bekasi tollgate.

“We have informed the minibus drivers. So far, we haven’t received any complaints,” he said.

Supandi said the minibus drivers should not feel threatened by the feeder buses because they targeted different passengers. The agency targeted motorists who travel back and forth from Bekasi to Jakarta vice versa.

With a fare of Rp 9,500 (US$1.03), the feeder bus service aims to facilitate commuters who usually drive to Jakarta. As much as 80 percent of 423,000 commuters from Bekasi use their own vehicles.

“We hope that the feeder bus service will encourage drivers to switch to reliable public transportation,” he said.

In 2010, there were 423,000 commuters in 2010, compared to 262,000 in 2002. Of that number, 51.1 percent used motorcycles and 29.1 percent drove cars. Just 16.3 percent of commuters traveled by bus and 3.1 percent, or 13,113 passengers, traveled by train each day. The new service is expected to transport 17,340 passengers per day.

The agency has prepared 15 buses and says 50 buses will serve the route at the end of the year. “This service is a serious program to overcome severe traffic jams,” he said.

Jakarta Transportation Agency head Udar Pristono said fewer motorists would result in fewer road accidents. “With the current traffic situation, motorists face a higher possibility of having an accident when they drive. We believe the accident rate will decrease if more people use public transportation,” he said.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said the city administration would expand similar feeder bus services to other satellite areas like Tangerang and Depok. “We should see this service as a breakthrough to create integrated public transportation,” he said.

“Next, we’ll introduce this service in Tangerang or Depok, and we will make sure that the minibus drivers are well informed. Nobody wants the same incident as with Bekasi drivers,” he added.