Head of the Jakarta branch of the Indonesian Truck Business Association (Aptrindo), Mustadjab Susilo Basuki, said one Aptrindo member, PT Trakindo Jaya Bersama, had recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the local unit of Germany-based testing and certification services firm TUV Rheinland to establish a vehicle-testing unit in Jakarta with a joint investment of up to Rp 100 billion (US$7.5 million).

The facility, Mustadjab said, was expected to be built either in Marunda or Cakung Cilincing, both in North Jakarta, on a site of up to 3 hectares in size.

“TUV has the expertise, equipment and inspection [system]. It will become an investor too,” he said on Tuesday.

Mustadjab added that Trakindo would control a 51 percent stake in the facility while the remaining 49 percent would be owned by PT TUV Rheinland Indonesia. The companies are currently waiting for the Transportation Ministry’s approval to kick off construction of the facility.

Regular KIR testing is obligatory for transportation vehicles, including buses and freight trucks, to ensure road users’ safety.

Based on Law No. 22/2009 on traffic and land transportation and Transportation Ministerial Regulation No. 133/2015, the private sector is allowed to conduct their own roadworthiness tests subject to certain conditions, including the availability of certified inspectors, standardized facilities and reliable infrastructure and equipment.

So far, the government has not established further detailed regulations for a roadworthiness facility run by a private company, including profit sharing, although they are currently being drafted.

Aptrindo has reiterated the importance of establishing alternative roadworthiness facilities as there are currently 175,000 idle trucks in the Greater Jakarta area waiting for tests. With only one KIR facility available in Jakarta, business players in the capital sometimes have to wait for up to four months to get their fleet checked.

Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) chairman and taxi operator Blue Bird operational director Adrianto Djokosoetono said many business players would follow suit and set up a private facility, including his company, which operates 30,000 taxis.

Adrianto said Blue Bird already had the equipment needed to conduct the roadworthiness tests and would only need to apply for further certification and accreditation to officialy conduct their in-house tests.

The inefficiency surrounding the current roadworthiness procedures, Adrianto said, could potentially hurt the company’s revenue as it reduced the operational hours of their fleet on the days they underwent the test.

On Tuesday, PT Hibaindo Armada Motor, the official dealer of Japanese commercial vehicle Hino, kicked off a three-month trial of its own Rp 5 billion KIR facility.

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, who attended the launch of the facility, said the ministry wanted to send a message that it would support private-sector participation in roadworthiness testing to improve road safety.

“If we allow the private sector [to conduct roadworthiness tests], instinctively bus operators would prefer to conduct the tests on their own,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Transportation Agency head Andri Yansyah said there was also a possibility that the private sector would charge higher service fees for the KIR tests than the government.

“We can’t prevent them from making a profit [by providing the service],” he said.

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