Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama rode a bicycle from his home in Pantai Mutiara, Pluit, North Jakarta, to his office at City Hall in Central Jakarta on this month'€™s no-car Friday.

Accompanied by five aides, Ahok left his house at 5:40 a.m. and rode his bike along Pluit reservoir. Halfway, he stopped at Kaget Market on Jl. Tongkol to chat with vendors and shoppers.

'€œThey usually wave at me when I pass by in my car but I can'€™t stop then. That'€™s why I am stopping at the market this morning,'€ he said.

Ahok continued his journey through Kota Tua in West Jakarta after taking photos with the vendors and shoppers.

Upon his arrival at City Hall at 6:30, Ahok said cycling was fun as the morning breeze was pleasant.

'€œThe air is still fresh in the morning,'€ he said while eating seafood congee in his office.

Ahok initially declined to bike to work on the first no-car Friday on Jan. 3, saying it was not efficient to bike to City Hall as he had much work to do.

Getting mixed public reactions to his reasoning, Ahok then biked from home to a Transjakarta bus shelter near his house and then took a bus to City Hall on the first Friday of February.

Before issuing the gubernatorial instruction on the first Friday of every month being a no-car day, Governor Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo cycled for 2 kilometers from his official residence near Surapati Park in Menteng, Central Jakarta, to City Hall every Friday.

He did not go to office on Friday this week as he was scheduled to receive Peoples Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Sidarto Danusubroto and House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Pramono Anung at his official residence.

The gubernatorial instruction was issued to encourage civil servants to use public transportation and reduce traffic congestion.

When asked about his journey to work, Ahok, who wore a blue shirt and brown pants, said cycling for one hour was not a problem.

He, however, said that his backside hurt. '€œI just found out that there are special pants for cycling. I don'€™t have them,'€ he said.

Ahok said he was enthusiastic about riding his bike as he could slim down from his current weight of 94 kilograms.

Ahok said the bicycles he and aides rode were donated by a bicycle company, the distributor of the United Bike brand.

'€œThe company wanted to give me 10 bicycles but I rejected the offer as it could be considered a gratuity,'€ he said. Ahok said he then suggested the company present the bicycles to the city administration so he could use them.

'€œThe Jakarta Financial Management Body (BPKD) will list them as city administration assets,'€ he said.

Asked about the meagre media coverage, Ahok said he was not enthusiastic about reporters accompanying him when he cycled.

'€œIf the reporters ride motorcycles in front of me to cover it, I would inhale the exhaust,'€ he said.

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