Ministry of Social Affairs Employees to Be Required to Use Public Transport or Bicycles Every Thursday

JAKARTA - Minister of Social Affairs (Mensos) Saifullah Yusuf, or Gus Ipul, will implement an energy-saving programme every Thursday within the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos). The policy mandates all employees to avoid using fossil fuel vehicles and instead switch to more environmentally friendly modes of transport. “Every Thursday, all Ministry of Social Affairs employees are expected not to use conventional vehicles. We encourage the use of public transport, electric cars, electric motorcycles, or cycling,” said Gus Ipul when met on Wednesday (22/4/2026). According to him, the policy aims to improve the efficiency of petroleum fuel (BBM) usage while promoting a healthier lifestyle. In addition, Kemensos is currently testing the effectiveness of energy savings through a work-from-home (WFH) scheme implemented every Friday. “This is still in the early stages. We are trying to measure the savings that can be achieved, including during the implementation of WFH,” he stated. “If we look at the trend, the savings from BBM alone are nearly Rp100 million. This does not yet include potential savings from electricity and water usage. If that can be reduced, the figure will certainly be larger,” he explained. He emphasised that this energy-saving policy will be mandatory for all Kemensos employees. “This will be mandatory for everyone. The options are public transport, electric cars, electric motorcycles, or bicycles,” he asserted. Through this policy, the government hopes to achieve not only budgetary efficiency but also improved health for the employees.