Drivers Protest, Empty Angkot Left Lined Up Near Tebet Station

Around 150 Mikrolet M44 drivers serving the Kampung Melayu-Karet route demonstrated at Jakarta City Hall. They are urging the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government to evaluate the JakLingko 48A route, which they consider to overlap with the M44 angkot route, impacting their income. Observations at Jakarta City Hall on Thursday (6/8/2026) around 11.00 WIB showed a number of angkot drivers wearing blue uniforms sitting in front of the City Hall exit. The protesters wore red and white headbands. One of the angkot driver representatives, Sanusi, stated that the demonstration was held to push the government to evaluate the JakLingko 48A route. He assessed that the route disrupts other angkot routes. Sanusi said the current JakLingko 48A route passes along the same path as the Mikrolet M44. According to him, this condition has caused passengers to switch to JakLingko because the service is free. “JakLingko should be a feeder. It can have the same destination, but the route should not be the same. Now that one route overlaps, our income is gone,” Sanusi said. Sanusi stated that his group does not object to JakLingko’s final destination being Karet. However, he requested the route be diverted through other roads, such as the Tebet Timur Dalam area, so it does not completely overlap with the M44 route. “If the destination is the same, it’s fine as long as the route is different. Don’t follow the existing one,” he said. The drivers claim this situation has persisted for about three years. During that time, they claim their income has continuously declined by about 50 percent. “The loss is 50 percent. We used to earn Rp 150,000 to Rp 200,000 a day. Now, earning Rp 100,000 is difficult, sometimes only Rp 50,000 from dawn until night,” one driver said. They also admitted to often incurring losses on weekends because the income from carrying passengers is insufficient to cover operational costs and vehicle rental fees. “On Saturdays and Sundays, we lose money. The earnings don’t even cover the fuel,” another driver said. Sanusi mentioned that the drivers had previously conveyed their aspirations several times to relevant parties, including the Transjakarta operator and government agencies. However, according to him, no solution has been provided to date. “Today we came to City Hall because there has been no response. We are waiting for the government’s decision,” he added. The demands of the M44 angkot drivers are as follows: 1. Change the JakLingko 48A route so it no longer overlaps with the Mikrolet M44 Kampung Melayu-Karet route. 2. Restore JakLingko’s function as a feeder transport, serving roads within residential areas before connecting to main corridors or TransJakarta. 3. Divert the JakLingko 48A route to alternative roads, such as through the Tebet Timur Dalam area, so it does not pass the same path as the M44. 4. They do not object to JakLingko’s final destination being Karet, as long as the route taken is different from the M44 route. Meanwhile, observations at Tebet Station in South Jakarta on Thursday (6/8) at 11.00 WIB showed a number of M44 angkots parked in a row in front of the West Tebet Station bus stop. The angkots appeared parked in the two rightmost lanes opposite the bus stop. The angkots were seen empty, without drivers or passengers. The entrance doors of the angkots were also closed. Furthermore, the queue at the West Tebet Station bus stop appeared to be snaking. The queue stretched from about 10 metres after the West Tebet Station exit.