T

he Jakarta Transportation Agency says a trip price of between Rp 6,500 (76 US cents) and Rp 21,000 for the planned Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system will be enough to reduce private vehicle use.

However, agenc y chief Udar Pristono said he would consider a police suggestion to set a higher trip price.

“I think it is a good suggestion, but we need to consider it further before we decide on prices,” Pristono said.

The Jakarta Traffic Police said earlier this week that the city should set an ERP trip charge somewhere between Rp 50,000 and Rp 100,000 — much higher than the Rp 25,000 to Rp 30,000 drivers currently spend on so-called jockeys to evade the 3-in-1 passenger requirement on major streets.

Pristono said that the provisional trip charge of between Rp 6,500 and Rp 21,000 reflected inflation and economic growth and was based on a survey of motorists and the tolls charged by turnpikes and ERP systems in other countries.

The Finance Ministry would have to issue a regulation before Jakarta could fix trip charges, he said.

“After a green light from the ministry we will draft a bylaw for the ERP. Governor Fauzi Bowo will have the final say on prices.”

One legal hurdle facing the ERP system was overcome after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed a regulation on traffic management and engineering last month.

Another stumbling block is that the ERP system is not covered by existing regulations under the 2009 Regional Tax and Retribution Law — a problem the city expects the Finance Ministry to soon rule on.

Separately, Sudaryatmo, an executive at the Indonesian Consumer Foundation (YLKI), said that more studies and surveys were needed before the agency could set ERP trip prices.

“The agency should bear in mind that the main purpose of the ERP is to reduce private vehicle use,” he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

The ERP scheme will replace the 3-in-1 system that currently regulates traffic on Jakarta’s major thoroughfares.

Under the 3-in-1 system, which was enacted in 1994, private cars must have at least three passengers to travel along major streets running between Blok M in South Jakarta and Kota in North Jakarta during the morning and evening rush hours.

So-called 3-in-1 jockeys, who offer themselves as passengers for Rp 25,000 to Rp 30,000 a trip, allow motorists to evade the regulation.

“Jakartans will basically pay anything to get through. The administration should make its decision carefully,” Sudaryatmo said.

The government also had to provide public transportation options to motivate drivers to abandon their cars.

“If the administration decides to set a high price for ERP, they should make it transparent where the money will go. It is mandatory that the money be used for better public transportation,” he said.