State-owned toll road operator Jasa Marga is teaming up with commuter train operator PT Kereta Comuter Indonesia (KCI) to provide cash back to commuters who top up their multi-trip cards at selected stations in Bekasi, West Java. 

From March 18 until the end of April, commuters who top up by at least Rp 20,000 (US$1.41) at the Kranji, Cikarang and Bekasi stations during morning and afternoon rush hours, from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. every Monday, are to get Rp 10,000 in cash back.

The move follows a “good reception” from the public to the #SenenDiOngkosin campaign, in which Jasa Marga cooperated with Transjakarta to provide free rides from the Summarecon bus stop in Bekasi to Jakarta every Monday until April to compensate for the worsening traffic on the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road caused by several simultaneous infrastructure construction projects.

“The reception to our cooperation with Transjakarta has been positive. We hope to see a similar outcome from our cooperation with KCI,” Jasa Marga spokesperson Dwimawan Heru Santoso said in a statement on Friday. 

The move is also meant to encourage residents to use public transportation as Jakarta aims to increase public transportation ridership from the current 20 percent to 60 percent by 2029.

Daily commuters from Bekasi contribute to Jakarta’s traffic gridlock, where the majority of vehicles travel at a speed of less than 20 kilometers per hour.

KCI spokesperson Erni Sylvane Purba said the multi-trip card can also be used to purchase items at C-Corner shops and to pay parking fees at several commuter train stations.