Malioboro to Go Fully Pedestrian, Transport Agency Prepares Parking Scheme
The government plans to commence a motor vehicle-free zone policy in Malioboro, or full pedestrianisation, starting in November. Various schemes are currently being formulated, including a vehicle parking scheme.
Head of the Yogyakarta Special Region (DIY) Transport Agency (Dishub), Chrestina Erni Widyastuti, explained that regarding parking matters, the policy direction is not to increase the number of parking pockets within the core Malioboro area.
‘Instead, it is to strengthen the park and ride and park and walk concept,’ Erni clarified when contacted on Friday (3/7/2026).
‘The paradigm we are building is park once, experience more, meaning visitors simply park their vehicles in the buffer zone, then continue their journey on foot, using TransJogja, traditional transport modes, or other environmentally friendly modes,’ she continued.
To that end, Erni added, her agency is focusing more on developing parking capacity in parking pockets outside the core Malioboro area. Furthermore, these parking pockets will also be supported by a smart parking system.
‘Through this system, the public will later be able to check real-time parking space availability, obtain navigation to the nearest parking location, and utilise a digital payment system,’ she explained.
‘Thus, vehicles will not need to circle around looking for parking spaces, which actually adds to congestion and emissions,’ Erni added.
In addition, the Transport Agency will also strengthen the Trans Jogja service integration system to become the backbone of mobility towards Malioboro.
‘This includes improving bus stop connectivity, ease of modal transfer, and enhancing service quality. Our target is not merely to provide more parking spaces, but to build a more efficient, comfortable, and sustainable mobility system,’ she concluded.
Previously, the government planned to implement full pedestrianisation in the Malioboro area starting November 2026. Currently, all technical matters are being finalised based on evaluation results from several previous trials.
DIY Regional Secretary, Ni Made Dwi Panti Indrayanti, stated that the remaining homework still being prepared from the evaluation results is the traffic management on the side streets branching off Malioboro.
‘Yes (full pedestrian starting November), we are considering, if it is full pedestrian, until when else would we postpone it?’ said Made when met at the Kepatihan Complex in Yogyakarta City on Wednesday (1/7).
‘It’s just that it is necessary, we are collaborating not only with the DIY Regional Government, but also with the Yogyakarta City Government. One of the outstanding tasks is the management on the side streets,’ she continued.