Friday Work-from-Home for Civil Servants Only Reduces Trips, Not Enough to Solve Jakarta's Traffic Jams

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The work-from-home (WFH) policy for civil servants (ASN) every Friday, which began on 10 April 2026, initially raised hopes among Jakarta residents. At the very least, there was an assumption that the absence of some government employees from routine commutes to the office could reduce congestion in the capital. However, a month after the policy took effect, Jakarta’s face has not truly changed. Traffic has shown a decline at several points, but it is not yet enough to make the roads feel empty. On some stretches, vehicles still dominate with congestion patterns similar to regular working days. “In the framework of sustainable transport, ‘Avoid-Shift-Improve’, the Friday WFH policy for ASN falls under the ‘avoid’ strategy to reduce travel needs,” said Southeast Asia Director of ITDP Indonesia, Gonggomtua Sitanggang, when contacted by Kompas.com on Monday (4/5/2026). However, according to ITDP, Jakarta needs stronger strategies in the “shift” aspect, namely encouraging the public to switch from private vehicles to public transport. “Jakarta cannot expect behavioural changes from the public to abandon private motor vehicles without other supporting strategies,” Gonggomtua stated. In theory, the ASN WFH policy can suppress mobility by reducing daily travel needs. Gonggomtua noted that the number of ASN in the Jakarta area reaches 1.5 million people based on 2026 BKN data, so the absence of some ASN on Fridays has the potential to affect traffic in main corridors. However, he assessed that the impact remains limited when viewed in the broader context of Jabodetabek. “If viewed comprehensively, the number of ASN in Jabodetabek is only 17 percent of the working population in Jabodetabek (total Jabodetabek workers, 9 million people, BPS 2025), so the potential impact of traffic congestion reduction from this policy is not yet significant,” Gonggomtua said. This situation makes the Friday WFH policy more like a “temporary pressure relief” rather than a structural solution capable of comprehensively changing Jakarta residents’ mobility system. In the ‘Avoid-Shift-Improve’ framework, the avoid policy is only one part of the strategy. If not followed by shift policies, the empty space on the roads could be filled by other travel groups, both from the private sector and residents who choose to use private vehicles because they feel the roads are less congested. According to ITDP, the WFH policy will struggle to create permanent change if not accompanied by shift strategies. Gonggomtua assessed that Jakarta still relies too heavily on private vehicles, especially due to limited public transport services in buffer areas. “Currently, around 80 percent of Jakarta’s area is served by public transport, but coverage in Bodetabek is still much lower, at around 2 percent,” Gonggomtua said. This disparity is the reason why commutes from Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi still heavily depend on private vehicles. Improvements in service quality must target shorter waiting times, faster travel times, intermodal integration, fare integration, safe access to stops and stations, and user security guarantees. “In addition, safe, secure, and inclusive access for pedestrians and cyclists to stations and stops is also important to increase public transport usage,” Gonggomtua stated. However, he emphasised that “pull” strategies like improving public transport must run alongside “push” strategies that suppress private vehicle use. According to ITDP, Jakarta needs to upgrade vehicle regulation policies such as the odd-even system, which is considered no longer effective. “Previously, Jakarta has implemented the odd-even policy since 2016, but this policy is deemed ineffective because it encourages the purchase of second vehicles,” Gonggomtua said. As an alternative, ITDP encourages the implementation of Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) in corridors already served by public transport, or expanding Low Emission Zones (KRE) like those applied in the Old City since 2021. Based on traffic counting sensor data from the DKI Transportation Agency, vehicle volume on the first Friday of ASN WFH implementation (10 April 2026) did show a downward trend compared to normal working days. “In general, the total vehicle volume on Fridays with ASN WFH shows a downward trend compared to normal working days, although the magnitude of the reduction is still not significant,” said Head of the Transport Data and Information Centre (PusdatinHub) of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Transportation Agency, Listiyaning Handayani, in a statement received by Kompas.com on Monday (11/5/2026).