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Jakarta’s targeted public transport subsidy turns heads
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An electric Transjakarta bus stops on Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta on Oct. 2, 2020. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
J
akarta’s plan to introduce targeted subsidies across the city’s three main modes of public transportation has drawn a bevy of mixed responses, with some experts lauding the move while others are vexed about potential data misuse.
In September, the city administration announced a plan to alter the pricing for the Transjakarta bus network and the mass rapid transit (MRT) and light rail transit (LRT) lines using account-based ticketing (ABT), which adjusts tariffs based on the identity and economic status of passengers.
Currently, passengers using electronic card ticketing and QR codes for public transportation integrated through the capital’s JakLingko system can get subsidized fares, but they are not targeted at any specific group.
Adjusted after the subsidy, tariffs for the Transjakarta and the LRT are a flat fare of Rp 3,500 (22 US cents) and Rp 5,000 respectively, while for the MRT, prices range from Rp 3,000–14,000, depending on the distance traveled.
The ABT system, meanwhile, will allow passengers to scan a barcode generated in their JakLingko mobile application for use at the electronic gates at stations and tap-on machines on buses and microbuses, which then calculates the cost of the commute, said Syafrin Liputo, the head of Jakarta’s Transportation Agency, in a recent statement to the press.
“If the user takes more than one mode of transportation, they will automatically get the maximum subsidized tariff of Rp 10,000. But if the passenger only uses one type of transport, we can identify whether they are recorded in Jakarta or the Bodetabek (Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi) administration,” he told local media company Detik.
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