People taking the bus from the CSW intersection in South Jakarta need to be prepared for a long climb, as the bus stop is located on an overpass that can only be accessed by stairs.

To get to the bus stop, passengers have to climb three flights of stairs, or 118 steps. The facility, the construction of which is nearly complete, will be part of the of the Transjakarta bus rapid transit (BRT) Corridor 13 route connecting Ciledug in Tangerang, Banten and Tendean in South Jakarta. The Jakarta administration is scheduled to inaugurate the route this year.

Pictures of the bus stop have gone viral. Jakartans and urban experts slammed the design as inconvenient because of the absence of an escalator or elevator.

“Of course people would be discouraged from taking the bus from there,” Yayat Supriyatna, an urban planner from Trisakti University in Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post over the phone on Tuesday.

After climbing the first 43 steps, pedestrians will have several meters of flat surface to catch their breath before facing the next 36 steps and later the final 39 steps. The outdoor facility also gives pedestrians a bird’s eye view of the city from high above.

Yayat argued that public transportation should be commuter-friendly. Moreover, he continued, the construction had been designed with only able-bodied in mind.

Disabled people, children, as well as senior citizens would need special attention to access the bus stop, Yayat added.

“It would be necessary for the government to at least provide field assistants. For example, as young children as well as the visually impaired would need extra attention,” he said.

The Jakarta administrations’ Bina Marga road agency is overseeing the construction of the building that will be exclusively assigned for the operation Transjakarta buses. The CSW bus stop is one of 12 stops along Corridor 13.

The expansion of the Transjakarta network is part of the city’s effort to improve the capital’s public transportation in a bid to reduce the amount of private vehicles on the roads and subsequently reduce traffic congestion. Jakarta’s BRT will complement the Sisingmangaraja MRT station. Located 1.5-kilometers away, commuters would need to walk 20 minutes to continue their journey between the transportation modes.

Regardless, Yayat expressed optimism that public transportation users would continue to increase, while also stressing the importance of convenient facilities, especially at intermodal passenger transfer points.

Bina Marga head Yusmada Faizal said the government was discussing options of additional facilities, such as an escalator or an elevator, to ease access at the CSW bus stop. However, each option faced numerous challenges in its implementation and maintenance, he added.

“The point is, the city administration does not want to distress residents. It’s just that the initial design only included stairs,” Yusmada told the Post. He acknowledged that the initial concept did not include an escalator or elevator.

The agency is attempting to coordinate with neighboring companies and the Jakarta Transportation Agency to come up with plans to install an escalator or an elevator, as there is limited space at the location, he said.

Initiated in 2014, it was originally planned for completion by the end 2016. However, challenges in land acquisition delayed construction. The overpass aims to be completed by April this year, Yusmada said.

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