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Greater Jakarta bans ‘ojek’ from transporting passengers: Agency

The regional administrations in the Greater Jakarta area have decided to prohibit app-based ride-hailing ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers from transporting passengers during a partial lockdown despite a new ministerial regulation saying otherwise.

Dyaning Pangestika (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Tue, April 14, 2020

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Greater Jakarta bans ‘ojek’ from transporting passengers: Agency Gojek drivers are fitted out with special bags that bear the logo of GoFood, the on-demand transportation company's food delivery service. (Gojek/File)

The regional administrations in the Greater Jakarta area have decided to prohibit app-based ride-hailing ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers from transporting passengers during a partial lockdown despite a new ministerial regulation saying otherwise.  

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan had announced earlier that ride-hailing ojek were not allowed to transport passengers and were only permitted to transport goods while large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) were in effect in the capital, in accordance with Health Ministry Regulation No. 9/2020 on PSBB implementation guidelines.

However, Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, who is also the acting transportation minister, then issued Transportation Ministerial Regulation No. 18/2020 on transportation management to prevent COVID-19 transmission. The regulation stipulates that ride-hailing ojek were permitted to transport passengers, in direct opposition to the health minister’s decision.

Read also: App-based motorcycle taxis can take passengers if regional government allows

The policy has created confusion among the public and prompted the Transportation Ministry to relax the regulation to allow individual regional governments to make adjustments. Other than Jakarta, the Health Ministry has also granted PSBB status to Bogor, Bekasi and Depok in West Java and Tangerang and South Tangerang in Banten.  

Greater Jakarta Transportation Agency (BPTJ) chairperson Polana B. Pramesti said in a statement that all regional heads who attended a virtual meeting with the agency on Monday had agreed with the Health Ministry’s policy.

She said that those present at the meeting had also agreed to synchronize their regions' transportation policies to avoid further confusion. Each region would formulate a policy that catered to their unique needs, Polana added.

Under the PSBB, public transportation in Greater Jakarta will operate daily from 6 a.m to 6 p.m., with all services adhering to the COVID-19 health protocol to prevent the further spread of the infectious disease.

“The bottom line is that we are not suspending public transportation, but limiting its operational hours and [passenger capacity],” Polana said.

Editor's note: The article has been updated for clarity.

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