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T Transportasi Jakarta overpays for substandard facilities, including spending Rp 2.18 billion (US$151,257) on a ticketing system worth Rp 500 million, pressure group Jakarta Monitoring Development has claimed.

The group’s executive director Mahfud Latuconsina said on Monday that the bus operator had not been transparent in the procurement of the electronic ticketing system.

Mahfud said the budget for the procurement should have been only Rp 500 million, but was later revised to Rp 700 million before finally being increased to Rp 2.18 billion.

“Pak [Jakarta Governor] Anies Baswedan and Pak [Deputy Governor] Sandiaga Uno should be more vigilant, why did the budget keep changing? It cost a lot but the quality [of Transjakarta’s facilities] is low and inadequate,” Mahfud said in a written statement.

He added that large procurements were made without the necessary oversight.

“There are even buses being held by the Transportation Agency because their operational permits have expired. That should not happen because it disrupts the public and discourages use of public transportation,” Mahfud said.

He called for restructuring to improve the supervision of Transjakarta’s procurement procedures.