C

ommuters are increasingly giving up on the deteriorating quality of service offered by the new Commuter Line system, recently launched by state-owned railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (PT KAI), and are already finding alternatives to their extended daily treks.

Many of the dissatisfied commuters are from Bogor, which is the farthest city in the Greater Jakarta region serviced by the Commuter Line, and have decided to relocate to downtown Jakarta rather than endure the lengthy commutes.

Bogor native Melati Nur Ami said that traveling on the Commuter Line train had become too depressing and she would sooner stop commuting and find a rented room in downtown Jakarta.

“I feel less productive these days because of the long hours commuting that I have to endure just to get to the office. Also, the carriages now are less comfortable because they are more crowded,” Ami told The Jakarta Post.

She said that traveling on the Commuter Line has also become more risky, with male passengers invading the female-only carriages.

“It is so unpleasant to vie for seats with male passengers in train cars that were originally reserved for us,” she said.

To make matters worse, train conductors and security personnel dispatched to guard the carriages seemed not to care about the infractions.

“It gets worse in the evenings when train cars are more crowded from people going home from work. They do absolutely nothing,” she said.

PT KAI rolled out a new system called the Commuter Line on July 2 to replace the Greater Jakarta express air-conditioned train service that stopped at only a few major stations and turn it into a regular air-conditioned commuter train service that stops at all stations.

PT KAI has reduced its ticket price of Rp 9,000 (US$1.05) to Rp 7,000 per seat for the Jakarta to Bogor route, the longest route in Greater Jakarta.

Under the scheme, tickets for the Jakarta-Depok route cost Rp 6,000, the Jakarta-Bekasi route costs Rp 6,500, the Jakarta-Tangerang route costs Rp 5,500 and the Jakarta-Serpong route costs Rp 6,000.

Reza Ardhi, a commuter from Bekasi, said he decided to relocate to Jakarta after getting exhausted by the lengthy waits at every station.

“The new system has turned my life upside down because I must adjust to the new schedule. I usually finish work at 8 p.m., which means that now I have to wait for two hours for the last train to Bekasi,” the 24-year-old private bank employee told the Post.

Reza, who used to travel on the Greater Jakarta express air-conditioned trains, recently gave up on waiting for the trains and tried city buses, taxis and even ojeks (motorcycle taxis).

Eventually, he gave those up too and has since begun looking for a room to rent in downtown Jakarta.

“But somehow I began enjoying standing for long times inside very crowded trains,” he said, chuckling.

Another commuter from Bekasi, Alit Andhika Chita, also warmed to the idea of staying in Jakarta.

Alit said the commute these days was difficult.

“People who used to travel on the economy trains can now ride on the Commuter Line, so I suspect it has also become more dangerous with more criminals on board,” she said.

Spokesperson of internet-based railway commuters association KRL Mania Nur Cahyo said that the only solution that PT KAI could offer was how to improve punctuality along routes it served.

“Stick to train schedules and try not to be late or cancel trips,” Cahyo said. (msa)