Busway launch big attraction

Urip Hudiono and Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Several minor flaws in the initial implementation of the TransJakarta Busway did not deter enthusiastic Jakartans from personally trying out the brand-new air-conditioned buses on Thursday for a free ride along the 12.9-kilometer route from Blok M in South Jakarta to Kota in West Jakarta.

Shouting and sweating when waiting in one of the 20 busway shelters turned into smiling and giggling after people entered one of the 56 orange-and-yellow buses, which whizzed by private cars trapped in severe gridlock all along the corridor.

Rita, 37, a resident of Ciganjur in South Jakarta who arrived with her two children, was among the people who were willing to wait since 6 a.m., more than five hours before Governor Sutiyoso officially launched the busway at 11:30 a.m., just to take a free ride.

"We had to struggle just to get into the bus. The shelter was filled beyond capacity with would-be passengers," she groaned.

Hundreds of people waited at almost all the shelters, struggling to get the chance to try the busway. The Jakarta administration is encouraging people to try the busway in the two-week free-ride period.

Lucky, 23, an employee at a company on Jl. Jend. Sudirman, asked her colleagues to join her on a try-out of the new bus system during lunch time.

"It's like being in a presidential entourage. All the motorists must stop to make way for us," she said, giggling.

To mark the launching of the busway, Sutiyoso cut a string of jasmine flowers at the shelter across the Bung Karno Sports Complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta.

Noted singer/songwriter Titiek Puspa, actor/director Rano Karno and famous dangdut singer Inul Daratista were seen trying the busway in the same bus with the governor's entourage from Senayan to Kota.

"This is what I call a real city bus. It's cool, comfortable and fast. It's quite cheap compared to the regular air- conditioned bus, right?" Inul said.

However, she made no comment when asked if she would leave her car home and use the busway instead, hinting that she was quite a busy person and had to commute daily to many places.

Aimed to improve public transportation in the notorious Jakarta traffic, the busway is also aimed at enticing private vehicle owners to leave their cars home and use the busway instead.

"If the busway's comfort and safety equals that of private cars, why not try it? The real challenge of the busway is to convince private car users to get on board without implementing the three-in-one traffic policy," said Yuniadi H. Hartono, PT DaimlerChrysler Distribution Indonesia deputy director for marketing planning and communication, whose office is on Jl. Imam Bonjol, Central Jakarta.

The ramps to the bus shelters, for wheelchair users, are apparently not enough.

Aswin, 45, who is confined to a wheelchair, complained that his wheelchair could not pass through the narrow turnstile on his way to the shelter. Fortunately, people helped lift him up over the turnstile.

Sutiyoso said that his officers had surveyed all the facilities before they started the construction.

"In the future, two shelters will be equipped with elevators. They'll be at the Jakarta Police and the Sarinah shelters," he said.

The launch of the busway was also marred by some minor flaws, including a broken handrail on a bus with plate number B 7021 IS. There was also the arrest of a suspected pickpocket by security officers after he tried to steal a cellular phone from a passenger.

There were some worrying issues observed as well, some that could lead to accidents along the corridor. Several pedestrians were seen crossing the busway lane while motorcyclists intentionally used the lane to avoid the traffic jams.

At times, the bus drivers must make sudden stops in several predictable intersections including the Pemuda Statue traffic circle, the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle and the Olimo intersection.