Busway highlights urban woes: Observers

Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Public euphoria toward the busway during its two-week free trial period may well be a reflection of some of Jakarta's social problems, such as the lack of public space and high level of unemployment, an observer has said.

The trial period was criticized by other observers as making it difficult to evaluate objectively the busway's initial purpose of encouraging private car owners to use public transportation, itself intended to reduce congestion and pollution in the city's streets.

Sociologist and urban observer Imam B. Prasodjo told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that the numerous joyriders willing to endure the busway's long queues and packed buses during the free trial period were an indication that they were yearning for more freely accessible public space where they could relax and become part of urban culture, rather than merely curious in trying out something new.

"The busway has become the public space that the city has failed to provide for its citizens," he said.

According to Imam, the large numbers of joyriders during working hours could also reflect high levels of unemployment in the city.

"It is understandable to see parents and children enjoying the busway at the weekend. But when joyriders still pack the buses during working hours, that raises questions," he said.

Imam also criticized the city administration's lack of transparency about the busway project and its seriousness in promoting it to the public, especially private car owners, if its goal was indeed to persuade them to switch to public transportation.

"Instead, the administration will be at the receiving end of hostility from its own citizens, who consider the busway as just another corrupt and mismanaged project that causes them nuisance," he said.

Similar criticism was also made by Irwan Sukatmawijaya, an executive committee member from the Consumer Protection organization. He said the administration was not serious enough in promoting the busway project to the public.

"They should have operated the busway in its entirety, with the supporting feeder bus services and private car limitation policies operational at the same time, while fully informing the public about those as well," he said.

The busway two-week free trial period, Irwan continued, would not give the public a realistic impression of how the busway would operate under normal circumstances, or whether it would indeed resolve the city's traffic and transportation problems.

Meanwhile, transportation expert Ahmad Safrudin also called on the administration to ensure that the busway be operated and maintained properly because it was Governor Sutiyoso's "biggest gamble" to provide a feasible mass rapid transportation system for the capital.

"If it fails, the public will most likely become even more indifferent toward any future mass rapid transportation program," he said, referring to the city's previously praised system of air-conditioned Patas (seated-only) city buses, which subsequently failed due to poor vehicle maintenance after six months of operation.