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MRT boosts Transjakarta numbers
Efforts to persuade residents to leave their private vehicles and switch to public transportation have begun to bear fruit with the opening of the latest transportation alternative
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span>Efforts to persuade residents to leave their private vehicles and switch to public transportation have begun to bear fruit with the opening of the latest transportation alternative.
The existing commuter rail line that connects Jakarta with its satellite cities as well as Transjakarta have now been complemented by the opening of the first section of the MRT, which spans 15.7 kilometers from Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta. The MRT was inaugurated on March 24.
Both President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan have repeatedly said that they hoped the new service would help inculcate a new transportation culture among Jakarta commuters.
After conducting free public trials in March, the MRT began its commercial operations on April 1 at 50 percent discounted fares on all trips for the entire month.
The city administration has agreed a minimum fare of Rp 3,000 (20 US cents) per MRT journey and Rp 1,000 per stop. The maximum MRT fare will therefore be Rp 14,000, if passengers go through all 13 stops.
Commuters, who at the beginning flocked to MRT stations out of curiosity to try out the new rail-based transportation system, which runs both underground and on elevated tracks, have started to adjust their traveling habits.
One of these is Rido, who lives in Pondok Cabe, South Tangerang. He said that in the past week he no longer rode his motorcycle all the way to his office in Central Jakarta after discovering that taking the MRT was much more convenient.
Over the past week he has ridden his motorcycle from home to Lebak Bulus MRT Station in South Jakarta and then left his bike in the park-and-ride facility nearby before continuing his journey by MRT to Bundaran HI Station, the closest stop to his workplace.
“[Taking the MRT] is faster and cheaper. It only takes around 30 minutes [from Lebak Bulus to Bundaran HI],” Rido said.
Meanwhile, Haikal Azhari, who lives in Ciputat, South Tangerang, said he had always relied on public transportation even before the MRT was launched.
He said he preferred taking an angkot (public minivan) rather than a bus from his house to Lebak Bulus.
“[The Transjakarta bus in Ciputat] is often full of passengers. Taking an angkot is much more comfortable especially because I am sure to get a seat on it,” Haikal said, adding that the angkot could get him to the station faster than the bus.
Separately Transjakarta’s operational director, Daud Joseph, said that the company had recorded at least 773,000 passengers per day, a significant increase from around 680,000 daily passengers before the MRT operation.
“This is a positive phenomenon brought about by the MRT’s launch,” he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Currently, four Transjakarta bus stops are connected to MRT stations: Bundaran HI bus stop and station; Tosari bus stop and Dukuh Atas Station; Lebak Bulus Corridor 8 bus stop and Lebak Bulus Station; and CSW Corridor 13 bus stop and Sisingamangaraja Station.
Transjakarta itself is aiming for 231 million passengers this year. The company had seen a 31 percent increase in ridership last year, serving 189.77 million commuters and 161 routes, up from 144.72 million passengers and 122 routes in 2017.
Joseph expressed the hope that the number of passengers would continue to rise even when the MRT ended the 50 percent discounted fares next month.
As for angkot, the Jakarta Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda Jakarta) said it had no detailed information on the impact of the MRT on the number of passengers using its services.
“We don’t have data on whether more passengers have been using angkot since the launch of the MRT,” the organization’s head Shafrungan Sinungan told the Post.
Separately, Muhammad Effendi, MRT’s operational director, said the company currently recorded around 83,000 passengers per day, higher than its initial target of 70,000 passengers.
As of Tuesday, the MRT had served at least 1.8 million passengers since its commercial operation on April 1.
“The busiest station is Lebak Bulus, followed by Bundaran HI. Meanwhile, Saturday and Sunday are the busiest days as many people are still taking the train out of curiosity,” Effendi said. (das)
