Tens of thousands of commuter journeys descended into chaos on Monday in Jakarta after Transjakarta bus staff went on strike, the first in 13 years of operation.

Dozens of buses were abandoned in long lines on the buses’ dedicated lanes as about 200 workers staged a rally at the company’s head office in Cawang, East Jakarta.

Angry and frustrated passengers, meanwhile, were left queueing at bus shelters around the city.

Junianti Hutabarat, 25, canceled her trip to apply for a job after she and other passengers were refused entry onto a bus at Jakarta State University (UNJ) bus shelter in East Jakarta.

“I was about to board one of the lined-up buses but a ticketing attendant told me that the bus had stopped operating for the day,” she said, adding that she was a loyal user of Transjakarta because of its affordable fares.

She condemned the strike as it was called without any prior notice, leaving regular passengers unprepared for alternative transportation.

Reni Susanti, 26, was late for work after she spent five hours on the road, from her home in Bekasi, West Java, to her office in Semanggi, South Jakarta.

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