The capital has increased Transjakarta passenger numbers by 200 percent within three years. The city’s own bus company has also expanded its networks by opening more routes, bus feeder networks and integrating with other modes of public transportation such as angkot (public minivans) and the MRT.

Launched in 2005 by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) and Sustainable Transport Award Committee, the award recognizes cities that have implemented innovative strategies in improving public transportation, pedestrian and biking facilities, as well as parking management.

Jakarta was nominated alongside 12 cities across the globe such as Richmond, the United States, Kingston, Canada, Bogota and San Jose.

Jakarta reached the semifinal and was one of the top three with Pune, India and Kigali. Pune won the award for its “complete streets” concept that accommodates pedestrians, cyclists, public transportation and private transportation.

Representatives from Pune and Jakarta will accept the award at the ceremony in Washington, DC, in January 2020.

Governor Anies Baswedan welcomed the honorable mention for Jakarta, noting that it came after the TomTom Traffic Index revealed that Jakarta had lowered its traffic congestion levels.

“It shows that we are on the right track and we can solve the capital’s chronic challenge,” Anies wrote via Facebook on Thursday.

He said the city administration would expand the Jak Lingko transportation integration program as well as improve facilities for pedestrians.

Public transportation has seen improvements, such as Transjakarta’s success in encouraging people to use public transportation, however efforts must be made to boost ridership, Soegijapranata Catholic University transportation expert Djoko Setijowarno said. Transjakarta recorded more than 800,000 passengers using the service per day in June and the company is aiming for 1 million passengers per day.

“There is still room to encourage people to use public transportation. We should also push for policies that encourage people to leave their vehicles at home,” Djoko told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

He also suggested the city administration expand the coverage of the odd-even traffic policy to help ease traffic congestion. The policy stipulates that cars with license plates that end in an odd number are only allowed on certain roads and tollgates on odd-numbered dates and vice versa. The policy was commended for lowering congestion during the Asian Games last year when Jakarta served as cohost.

Yoga Adi Winarto from ITDP Indonesia said Jakarta was acknowledged for integrating angkot and minibuses with Transjakarta. The integration was key, he said, citing that other cities that implemented the busway system tended to ignore existing public transportation.

“Jakarta was quite successful in integrating angkot [into Transjakarta’s service], which are run by individuals [and small cooperatives], not large companies,” Yoga said.

However, lessons could be learned by looking at the winner of the award, Pune in India, which had accommodated all kinds of commuters.

“[Pune] accommodated cyclists, pedestrians, public transportation and motorists with their own space on the roads. There are bike lanes and proper sidewalks. This is lacking in Jakarta,” Yoga said.

He said improvements could also be made by limiting the use of private vehicles that would not only ease congestion but also improve air quality. The city’s air quality has been in the spotlight for its dangerous levels.

The World Health Organization previously revealed that transportation contributed to 70 percent of air pollution in the capital. Around 18 million vehicles are used in the city of 10 million every day, choking residents with their fumes.

On Tuesday morning, Jakarta scored 240 in the Air Quality Index, presented in a purple band that indicates “very unhealthy” air quality levels. Following Jakarta, other big cities such as Lahore in Pakistan, Hanoi, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Wuhan in China also ranked in the big five for worst air quality.

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