Mataram prepares cycling policy for officials to improve fuel efficiency

Mataram (ANTARA) - The Mataram City Government in West Nusa Tenggara Province is preparing a new policy that mandates structural officials to use bicycles as transport to the office to improve fuel efficiency for official vehicles.

Mataram City Secretary H Lalu Alwan Basri in Mataram on Wednesday said the policy is a direct instruction from the Mayor of Mataram as a strategic step in addressing the central government’s planned work-from-home (WFH) policy.

“If the government implements WFH, we in the Mataram City Government will not do WFH but will issue a policy for structural officials starting from echelon II, III, to IV, to use bicycles,” he said.

The Secretary stated that the policy is based on two main objectives: fuel budget efficiency and the health of civil servants (ASN).

For fuel budget efficiency, the Mataram City Government has cut the fuel expenditure budget by up to 50% in the 2026 fiscal year compared to the previous year.

In addition, cycling can also impact ASN health, as besides the economic aspect, cycling to the office is expected to improve the health quality of officials in the city government environment.

“We ask officials to cycle from home to the office. This is the Mayor’s policy that we will implement soon, especially when the WFH regulations are later decided by the centre,” he said.

The Secretary said that although the policy targets echelon II, III, and IV officials, the city government still provides flexibility for certain agendas.

For example, when there are activities outside the office such as meetings at the Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD), officials are allowed to use official vehicles with a pick-up point system at the secretariat for greater efficiency.

“We will also review sanctions for officials who do not use bicycles, after the policy is established,” he said.

On the other hand, the Secretary added, with the policy of officials using bicycles, besides cost savings, the step is also seen as a small solution to reduce congestion in Mataram City.

With the reduced volume of official vehicles on the roads, it is hoped that general public mobility can be smoother.

“For that reason, the policy will be implemented soon in the near future, along with the finalisation of technical regulations and coordination with the central government regarding the WFH work pattern,” he said.