Malioboro Traders Demand Free Shuttle Buses Ahead of Full Pedestrianisation
The DIY Regional Government plans to implement a 24-hour full pedestrian zone in the Malioboro area starting in late November. In response, traders at Teras Malioboro have submitted several proposals, including the provision of free transportation facilities for tourists from designated parking areas.
Slamet Santoso, a representative for Teras Malioboro traders, stated that their primary demand concerns tourist transportation, an issue he has already raised with the local government. He noted that current infrastructure regarding parking remains inadequate.
Slamet explained that with the closure of the Abu Bakar Ali parking area and the prohibition of large buses from parking at the Senopati site, there is still no serious solution to transport tourists to Malioboro. He argued that if the government intends to implement full pedestrianisation, adequate parking and transport must be prepared beforehand.
Currently, only the Ngabean parking area can accommodate large tourist buses, but its capacity is very limited. Furthermore, Slamet considers the distance from Ngabean to Malioboro to be far too great. He suggested that a free shuttle service must be provided from bus parking points to Malioerb, to ensure tourists do not remove Malioboro from their travel itineraries.
“I have observed tourists parking at Ngabean and walking to Teras Malioboro. In bright weather, it is fine, but during heavy rain, it is difficult. I feel for them, as they only wish to shop at Teras Malioboro, yet they must walk long distances in the rain,” said Slamet. He warned that if these difficulties persist, Teras Malioboro might eventually be abandoned by tourists due to the lack of accessible infrastructure.
Previously, it was reported that the DIY Regional Government is finalising preparations for the full pedestrianisation of Malioboro, targeted for late November 2026. Various schemes, including vehicle parking arrangements, are currently being developed.
The Head of the DIY Department of Transportation (Dishub), Chrestina Erni Widyastuti, explained that their policy direction is not to increase the number of parking pockets within the core Malioboro area. Instead, the focus is on strengthening the ‘park and ride’ and ‘park and walk’ concepts.
“The paradigm we are building is ‘park once, experience more,’ where visitors simply park their vehicles in buffer zones and continue their journey on foot, using TransJogja, traditional transport, or other eco-friendly modes,” Erni explained.
Consequently, the department is focusing on expanding parking capacity in areas outside the core Malioboro zone. These parking areas will also be supported by a smart parking system. Through this system, the public will be able to check parking availability in real-time, receive navigation to the nearest parking spot, and utilise digital payment systems.
“This way, vehicles will not need to circle around searching for parking, which only increases congestion and emissions,” Erni added.
Additionally, the Department of Transportation will strengthen the integration of Trans Jogja services to serve as the backbone of mobility towards Malioboro. This includes improving bus stop connectivity, ease of mode transfers, and service quality. The ultimate goal is not merely to provide more parking spaces, but to build a more efficient, comfortable, and sustainable mobility system.