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akartans will soon enjoy a modern and integrated bus terminal in the capital, as President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is set to officially launch the Pulo Gebang terminal in East Jakarta, touted as the biggest in Southeast Asia, on Dec. 28.

Acting Jakarta governor Sumarsono has said that the city administration and the Transportation Ministry had agreed that the President would preside over the ceremony.

After the ceremony, the terminal will be operated as one of the main bus terminals in the city. Other main bus terminals are the Kampung Rambutan terminal in East Jakarta and the Kali Deres terminal in West Jakarta.

The architect of the Pulo Gebang terminal, Paul Tanjung Tan, called the facility “a micro city” since it consisted of among other things, a shopping center, a medical center and accommodations for drivers.

“The terminal can accommodate roughly 200 kiosks,” the architect, who works for the Arkipura Intra Nasional consulting company, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

He said that the terminal had a modern and futuristic design but maintained its function as a humane and environmentally friendly building in which people can interact.

The Pulo Gebang terminal is also set to be the pilot project for other modern and integrated terminals in the city, Greater Jakarta Transportation Agency (BPTJ) head Elly Sinaga said.

The BPTJ previously said it planned to revamp major bus terminals as part of its effort to create a better transportation system in Greater Jakarta.

Elly has claimed that the Pulo Gebang terminal will be “humane and civilized” because the soon to be implemented terminal system would allow bus passengers to easily get tickets online, eliminating the need to queue at ticket counters.

During the peak holiday seasons, such as Christmas and Idul Fitri, thousands of inter-city bus passengers usually stand in very long lines in front of terminal ticket counters to get bus tickets.

Engaging in mudik (homebound travel) ahead of religious holidays has become a tradition of many Indonesian people living in big cities such as Jakarta.

“I hope that bus passengers can feel comfortable being at the Pulo Gebang terminal after the implementation of the online technology,” Elly told journalists as quoted by tempo.co.

In July, Elly has also said that her agency would create a single ticketing system at the Kali Deres and Kampung Rambutan terminals so that all inter-city bus tickets could be bought online.

The Rp 448 billion (US$33.2 million) terminal was designed to replace the chaotic Pulo Gadung Terminal that has served as the main terminal for city-based transportation in East Jakarta.

Boasting a total area of 14.5 hectares, the new terminal is equipped with 54 LED TVs, 71 CCTV cameras and eight escalators. As a hub to connect with other terminals around the capital, it will likely serve thousands of passengers each day. (vny)