Although the governor of Jakarta has issued a regulation obligating vehicles to undergo emissions tests, its full implementation still requires a comprehensive plan from various policymakers.

This is part one of a two-part story.

At around 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 15, 2022, a technician at the Astra Motor Center repair shop in Cawang, East Jakarta, had just finished showing The Jakarta Post how to perform an emissions test on a motorcycle. To carry out the inspection, he measured pollutant levels by installing a sensor into the vehicle exhaust.

The test result comes in the form of digital data linked to the Jakarta Environmental Agency's (DLH) emissions-inspection database and printed documents. As long as the emissions level does not exceed the maximum threshold, a motorcycle owner will receive a certificate proving that the bike has passed the test. If a motorcycle fails an inspection, the technician will advise the owner to get the motorbike serviced to reduce the emissions.

The test costs only Rp 40,000 (US$2.50), yet very few people take their motorcycles for an inspection. Rendra Kusumah, the head of Astra Motor Center repair shop in East Jakarta, said this was a stark contrast to the situation just before mid-November 2021, when the Jakarta Police planned to issue traffic citations for those motorists who failed or who had not undergone the inspection.

"We saw a drastic spike [in the number of motorcycles undertaking emissions tests] after September 2021. At that time, between 60 and 80 motorbikes [were being tested daily]," he said.

Following an indefinite postponement of the traffic ticket implementation, the trend has changed. "There has been a decline [since December 2021]. Nowadays, an average of two to three motorcycles are tested," said Rendra.

A similar situation occurred at the Nawilis car-repair shop in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta. The head of the repair shop Ardiana explained that despite the affordable cost of an inspection (between Rp 150,000 and Rp 200,000), only a few customers take their cars to get tested at the facility.

"Before possible sanction implementation in November 2021, our repair shop was swarmed by approximately 70 to 90 cars daily. From December last year to [November 2022], there have only been one to five cars per day," said Ardiana.

Lack of awareness, absence of sanctions

The transportation sector is the leading cause of air pollution in Jakarta. Research in 2019 carried out by the DLH and Vital Strategies found that the largest source of pollution in the capital city was vehicular emissions, contributing 32 to 41 percent of air pollution in the wet season and 42 to 57 percent during the dry season.

In 2021, a Central Jakarta court found President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and the Jakarta governor negligent in an air pollution lawsuit. The court also ordered the defendants to, among other measures, implement periodic emissions inspections of older vehicles.

One year before the ruling, the city government issued a regulation regarding emissions tests for motor vehicles (Pergub No. 66/2020). This rule requires the owners of motor vehicles over three years old in Jakarta to undertake annual emissions tests.

An emissions test is essential because owners will know the pollution level produced by their motorized vehicles. Therefore, they are willing to take steps to lower the emissions of their cars.

Hazardous pollutants can adversely affect people's health. A recent report by Greenpeace titled Different Air Under One Sky: The Inequity Air Research shows that 93 percent of the total population in Jakarta was exposed to particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) concentrations, more than five times the World Health

Organization (WHO) annual average guideline.

Despite the importance of emissions inspections, only a tiny proportion of vehicles have undergone the test. Data from the Jakarta Statistics Agency shows that in 2021, there were 21.8 million motor vehicles in the city. However, fewer than 500,000 vehicles participated in emissions inspections during that year, according to data from the DLH.

Initially, in January 2021, a fine would be imposed on those who failed or who had not undergone an emissions test. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation was postponed.

The Jakarta administration had intended to enforce a similar punishment starting from Nov. 13, 2021, but postponed again due to a low number of people taking the emissions inspections and insufficient testing facilities. As of Dec. 28, 2022, only 336 car repair shops and 107 motorcycle workshops had inspection facilities.

Immediately after the city administration announced the plan to enforce sanctions, the number of vehicles taking emission tests skyrocketed, according to data collected by the DLH. Otherwise, the proportion was considerably low.

Tiyana Broto Adi, the chief of the pollution control section at the DLH, gave an example of a low number of vehicles undergoing emissions tests at his office. He also stressed that the implementation of fines would ensure compliance.

"If we merely appeal to the public to have their vehicles tested for emissions, the daily average number of vehicles inspected here [in my office], for example, is only eight. Implementation of sanctions correlates positively with the willingness to take part in an emissions test," he said.

Sherly Febrina, a 29-year-old copywriter, who knew about the compulsory emissions tests from her father, said that the absence of sanctions made her reluctant to get her 12-year-old motorcycle inspected for emissions.

"My father reminded me to take my motorbike for an emissions test, but I was too lazy because, at that time, the facilities were crowded with people. Moreover, there was no sanction," she said.

When asked whether she would take her motorbike to get inspected if sanctions were fully imposed, she replied, "Absolutely. Now, because it's not urgent, I'm not eager to get my motorbike tested for emissions," said Sherly.

Fanny Nuraini, 30, who lives in South Tangerang, Banten, is also aware of the implementation of the regulation but did not realize that vehicle owners outside Jakarta could be subjected to the law. Nevertheless, if necessary, she is willing to get her car tested.

"I will probably participate, especially if there's a sanction in the form of a ban on registration certificate extensions for people whose vehicles do not get inspected for emissions," she said.

Mei, a private employee in South Jakarta who asked to use only her first name, said she had just learned about the mandatory emission tests after the Post told her.

"Since you told me about this regulation, I will consider taking part in the emissions test. I will try to find a repair shop that provides this service," she said.

"Honestly, I don't like it when my motorbike causes excessive pollution. So, I will ask a technician about how to reduce the emissions level of my motorcycle," she added.

Independent air-quality expert Muhammad Shidiq said that the absence of any punishment led to an insignificant number of vehicles undergoing emissions tests.

"I have discussed this matter with policymakers and other experts. So, I'm convinced it's the current trend. At the start of the announcement of the [traffic citation] implementation plan, some people were not well-informed of the possible sanctions, but others deliberately ignored the regulation," Shidiq said.

This story was produced with support from Internews' Earth Journalism Network.  To be continued in part 2 tomorrow.

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