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Blue 'bajaj' bear the brunt of stunted CNG growth in Jakarta
In November, dozens of bajaj drivers staged a rally in front of City Hall, demanding that the administration improve the supply of CNG, as lately they have had to wait for hours to fill their tank with CNG.
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Gas line: Dozens of 'bajaj' (three-wheeled motorized vehicles) and other vehicles line up at an SPBG gas station on Jl. Pemuda, Pulo Gadung, East Jakarta, on Monday. Over the past week, long lines have regularly formed at this gas station because of maintenance being done to other nearby ones and because other alternatives are too far away. According to the Jakarta Transportation Agency, there are 13,905 gas-powered vehicles in Jakarta, but only 18 SPBG gas stations. (The Jakarta Post/Andi M Ibu Aqil )
T
he recent image of hundreds of blue bajaj (three-wheeled motorized vehicle) lining up at a compressed natural gas (CNG) station in Jakarta shows how the capital pushed the use of CNG “for cleaner air” only to abandon the effort and let more than 10,000 blue bajaj and 3,000 other CNG-fueled vehicles fend for themselves in filling in their tanks.
In November, dozens of bajaj drivers staged a rally in front of City Hall, demanding that the administration improve the supply of CNG as lately they have had to wait for hours to fill their tank with CNG. The worst case was six hours, driver Narsudi said during his protest.
There are 13,905 gas-powered vehicles in Jakarta, according to the city’s Transportation Agency. Almost 11,000 of the figure comes from bajaj and the rest are more than 2,000 taxis and 370 Transjakarta buses.
Jakarta introduced the use of CNG for bajaj more than 10 years ago. In 2008, the city recorded about 2,500 taxi, 150 public minivans, 500 bajaj and 238 Transjakarta buses using CNG. In the same year, only 14 out of 274 fuel stations in Jakarta provided CNG.
Former governor Fauzi Bowo, during his administration from 2007 to 2012, introduced a clean air program called Langit Biru (blue sky), and pushed for bajaj and Transjakarta buses to use CNG.
Clean air experts said that natural gas, although coming from fossil fuels, emitted less residue than oil.
The number of vehicles running on CNG grew exponentially after the city administration won a years-long grueling battle with drivers and owners of bajaj, which used to be orange and fueled by gasoline. Now, the orange bajaj is drifting to extinction with less than 100, and they are bought as collectible items or decorations.
