Urban Transport in the OIC Megacities
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4.1.5.1. Public transport
Public transport accounts for 25% of modal share in Jakarta. There are currently several types of
public transport in Jakarta:
- TransJakarta: a BRT system with dedicated infrastructure on most of the routes (12
corridors);
- TransJakarta Integrated Border Transport (TIBT): feeder bus services from cities around
Jakarta towards TransJakarta corridors (11 routes);
- City buses: buses with level of service that depends on traffic situation, no dedicated routes,
timetable and stops, and operated with large, medium and small vehicles;
- Kopaja and Metromini : economy minibus systems that provide important services for Jakarta
commuters with numerous routes throughout the city;
- Commuter Rail Line (KRL): a commuter light rail system that serves commuters from the
surrounding cities of Jakarta.
Apart from these, there are also unofficial transport systems such as Bajaj (Auto rickshaw) that
provides local transportation in the back streets of some parts of the city as it is not allowed to enter
the arterial roads, and Ojek (Motorcycle taxi) that is very much used as a solution to deal with the
crowded urban roads and narrow alleyways. Figure 16 presents various public transport modes that
are currently available in Jakarta.
Despite various public transport services offered, the current public transport system in Jakarta
cannot meet the transport demand, as a result, it has not been able to alleviate the acute traffic
congestion. The number of passengers grows faster than the number of public transport vehicles. This
creates uncomfortable journeys for the passengers, which makes them choose private vehicles.
TransJakarta is the only urban public transport service that offers comfort through (mostly) dedicated
infrastructure, timetable and convenient stops. However, the aforementioned supply issue also
degrades the level of service of TransJakarta. TransJakarta is facing the following main problems: (1)
Too few buses to serve the demand which results in constant overcapacity. Currently, TransJakarta
transports 350,000 passengers per day; (2) Too few gas stations for the buses; and (3) TransJakarta
dedicated corridors are also used by private vehicles to avoid traffic jams.
The current target to tackle this capacity issue is to extend the fleet as soon as possible and as many
as possible, to improve the bus shelters with passenger information system, and to sterilise the
dedicated bus way corridors from the illegal use of other modes.