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resident Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo has issued a presidential regulation to establish the Greater Jakarta Transportation Body (BPTJ) under the Transportation Ministry in order to better manage transportation in the capital region.

According to Presidential Regulation No. 103/2015, signed by Jokowi on Sept. 18, the BPTJ'€™s function would be to develop, manage and improve all modes of public transportation in Jakarta province, Depok city, Bogor city, Bogor regency, Bekasi city, Tangerang city, South Tangerang city and Tangerang regency.

'€œWe are currently holding internal discussions in the Transportation Ministry to determine the officials and officers who will be appointed to run the BPTJ,'€ Transportation Ministry spokesman JA Barata told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

The regulation states that the BPTJ is a special organizational unit headed by an intermediate high official, and is responsible to the Transportation Minister. The unit will have one head, a maximum of four directorates and a secretariat. The President will have the prerogative to appoint the head of the BPTJ on the recommendation of the Transportation Minister, while directors and secretaries may be appointed and dismissed by the minister.

BPTJ officials and officers may be civil servants, professionals or experts.

The BPTJ has six main tasks, which include coordinating and synchronizing plans of ministries, agencies and regional governments for the development and improvement of integrated transportation services in Greater Jakarta based on the Greater Jakarta Urban Transportation Master Plan as set up in the presidential regulation. The BPTJ will also be responsible for issuing permits for public transportation between regions.

The unit will be funded by the state and/or regional budgets, or by other legitimate sources of finance.

The regulation was enacted by Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly on Sept. 22.

It stipulates that the BPTJ must be up and running a maximum of three months after being enacted.

Separately, the Jakarta governor'€™s assistant on industry, trade and transportation, Sutanto Soehodho, said that although the city administration praised the establishment of the BPTJ, he said that the city had hoped for an authoritative body instead of a management body.

He said that the city administration hoped that the BPTJ would be able to integrate and synchronize transportation development between regions.

'€œThe development of transportation infrastructure should not be limited by regional borders,'€ Sutanto said.

He said that the BPTJ must have regional offices throughout Greater Jakarta to better manage transportation in the area.

Further, Jakarta Transportation Council (DTKJ) chairwoman Ellen Tangkudung said that the BPTJ must be able to reorganize public transportation in Greater Jakarta in order to ensure effectiveness and ease of access for passengers.

Ellen said that with the development of the mass rapid transit (MRT) and light rail transit (LRT) systems, as well as the Transjabodetabek bus services, it was an appropriate time for the unit to be established.

'€œThe establishment of the BPTJ is important because transportation in Jakarta cannot function alone without integration with transportation in satellite cities. It should have been established years earlier,'€ Ellen said.

She said that hopes were high for the BPTJ to speed up and ensure integration of Greater Jakarta'€™s complicated public transportation services.