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n the latest effort to reduce the city'€™s frustrating traffic problems, the Jakarta administration says it is studying the feasibility of implementing '€œmanual road pricing'€.

The implementation of electronic road pricing (ERP) will have to wait until the first quarter of 2014 at the earliest as the procurement of the onboard units '€” electronic detectors '€” is still in process.

The City Council is currently preparing the legal work for the move.

Deputy Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama said the administration acknowledged the possible delay, but still wanted to take measures immediately to cut the use of private vehicles.

The odd-even license number policy thought to reduce the number of cars on the road has been almost certainly cancelled as administration and police studies show its implementation is not feasible, instead only promoting the purchase of more cars.

'€œWe'€™re discussing the possibility of implementing a manual ERP before the onboard unit procurement finishes. But we'€™re still in talks,'€ Ahok told reporters over the weekend.

Ahok said the proposed system would be similar to ERP, yet the supervision would be done manually. It will require car owners to paste a hologram sticker, which is obtained after paying the '€œroad price'€, on their cars in order to be allowed access to certain roads prone to traffic congestion.

'€œThe sticker can be sold for between Rp 1 million [US$87] and Rp 2 million,'€ Ahok said. '€œIt may be paid monthly, or annually. We will see.'€

The system, if approved, will be implemented in early 2014, after the administration finishes procuring 800 new Transjakarta buses to act as alternatives to using private cars.

To check the validity of the hologram stickers, Ahok said the administration would deploy field officers from the Transportation Agency, with assistance from the police.

'€œSupervision can be carried out through visual observations or random sweeps. We can use scanners on the cars at parking spots,'€ the deputy governor said.

As for those unable to pay for the stickers, Ahok said he would provide free buses, making it easier for citizens to access the area. The deputy governor was certain this system could gradually push car owners to use public transportation.

To show the administration'€™s commitment to promoting the use of public transportation, Ahok also said he was discussing the option of using rented cars for his civil servants.

He said there was an option to sell the existing cars.

'€œIn really urgent matters, we can rent cars. Otherwise, use buses,'€ he said. '€œThis way, the administration is free from maintenance and depreciation charges too.'€

In another move, the administration will increase the vehicle-ownership transfer fee (BBNKB) next year, thus upping the price of secondhand cars.

Owning more than one car will also become costlier as the progressive tax will be raised, despite the recently-introduced low-cost green car (LCGC) policy.

The BBNKB will be increased to 20 percent of a secondhand vehicle'€™s value, from the current 10 percent, while the progressive tax code will be set at between 2 and 8 percent of the vehicle value, rising from 1.5 percent to 4 percent.

This will impose a 1 to 2 percent tax rate on the first vehicle owned by any individual and 2 to 10 percent on subsequent vehicle purchases.

It has been predicted the LCGC policy will boost car sales by 50,000 in the city, out of a nationwide target of 1.1 million, this year.