Jakarta Governor Pramono Says 4 Million Daily Commuters Cause Congestion
Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung stated that congestion in the capital is not solely caused by the activities of its residents. According to him, around four million commuters from buffer zones enter Jakarta every day and return home in the afternoon.
He made the remarks during a dialogue with residents at the peak celebration of Jakarta’s 499th Anniversary at the HI Roundabout in Central Jakarta on Saturday. Pramono was initially responding to a complaint from a resident originally from Maluku who now lives in Bekasi regarding transportation.
Pramono then explained that the high mobility of people from surrounding areas is one of the main causes of traffic density in Jakarta. ‘Transportation in Jakarta is problematic because around four million people arrive in the morning. In the afternoon, around four million return to their respective residences. That is what Jakarta is now managing,’ Pramono said.
According to Pramono, the Jakarta Provincial Government is trying to reduce the use of private vehicles by expanding public transport services connecting the capital with satellite cities through the Transjabodetabek service. ‘Previously, there was no such thing as Transjabodetabek, now there is from Blok M to Bogor, Blok M to Soekarno-Hatta, Blok M to Bekasi, and so on. Why? So that residents from outside Jakarta can use Transjabodetabek transport,’ he stated.
Pramono noted that public enthusiasm for public transport was also evident during the 499th Jakarta Anniversary celebrations. Initially, free transport services were only provided to Jakarta residents. However, many residents from buffer zones requested the same policy. ‘The problem was that during events like this, we initially made it free for Jakarta residents. It turned out that residents from Bekasi, Bogor, Tangerang, South Tangerang, Cianjur, and Depok also asked for free rides, so today we made it free for all holders of Indonesian ID cards,’ he revealed.
He explained that the policy applies to various modes of transport managed by the Jakarta Provincial Government, such as TransJakarta, MRT Jakarta, LRT Jakarta, and JakLingko. In addition, the public was also granted free entry to a number of tourist destinations owned by the Jakarta Provincial Government. ‘Including riding the MRT, the LRT managed by Jakarta, TransJakarta, JakLingko, and so on. Including entering Ancol, entering Ragunan, Monas, and all the museums, we made everything free,’ he said.
Pramono hopes that this policy will encourage the public to switch from private vehicles to public transport. In this way, congestion in Jakarta can be gradually reduced. ‘I am sure you all enjoyed it today, transport for just one rupiah. Hopefully, things like this will raise people’s awareness to use public transport,’ he concluded.