It Turns Out That "TOLL" Road Is an Acronym – Here's What It Stands For

The term toll road has long been known as an obstacle-free route designated for four-wheeled or larger vehicles, but few people realise that the word “tol” itself is an acronym. In practice, toll roads in Indonesia are supervised by the Toll Road Regulatory Agency (BPJT), an institution that carries out part of the government’s authority in organising toll roads to improve national connectivity and transport efficiency. Citing several sources, the term “tol” is often associated with the expansion of “tax on location,” which refers to the collection of fees at certain points when users pass through the road section. This concept forms the basis for applying tariffs to toll road users, the amount of which varies depending on the distance travelled and the section traversed. Along with technological developments, the toll payment system in Indonesia has also transformed from cash to non-cash payments up to the implementation of a touchless system (MLFF), which is targeted to speed up vehicle flow and reduce queues at toll gates. According to the bpjt.pu.go.id website, the history of toll roads in Indonesia began in 1978 with the operation of the Jagorawi Toll Road, which is 59 km long (including access roads), connecting Jakarta, Bogor, and Ciawi. Indonesian Toll Road Entrepreneurs The toll road business is a promising sector. Infrastructure projects can become profitable long-term investment assets because they are used by the public. This has led several conglomerates to expand their businesses into that sector, from the Salim Group to Jusuf Hamka. The Salim Group, led by Anthoni Salim, is indeed one of the conglomerates playing in the Indonesian toll business. However, not only that group, there are several Indonesian conglomerates that are players in the toll business. Jusuf Hamka through his company PT Citra Marga Nusaphala Persada Tbk. (CMNP) is known as one of the toll road tycoons in Indonesia. No wonder, he owns several toll roads in strategic locations, namely around Greater Jakarta. In total, there are 7 toll roads owned by his company CMNP. His company is Indonesia’s first private toll road company.