Motorised Becaks Begin to Be Destroyed in Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta’s Malioboro area is preparing to enter a new, more environmentally friendly chapter. The project to procure electric becaks to replace motorised becaks (bentor) will be rolled out in stages. Governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY), Sri Sultan HB X, stated that his administration is also listening to public input before the eco-friendly fleet is fully operational. The Sultan does not want to rush the target of operating all electric becaks in Malioboro. “It is indeed gradual. Because production and the engines also have to be made. The plan is for one thousand electric becaks. Just do it in stages,” said Sri Sultan in Yogyakarta on Wednesday (3/6/2026). For the Sultan, functional and aesthetic aspects must go hand in hand. He stressed that the chassis design and seating area of the electric becak must be truly environmentally friendly, in line with spatial aesthetics, and comfortable. “Is it comfortable for sitting? Especially with that model, do women feel comfortable sitting there?” he said. When the time comes and such matters can be improved and everyone feels comfortable, the electric becaks can be produced sustainably. Meanwhile, one becak driver, Jagiyo, expressed his happiness at starting to use an electric becak because it is comfortable and not tiring to pedal. “In the past, I pedalled, now I am old and have been using a motorised becak for 20 years. Now using an electric becak saves energy; being old, I am no longer strong enough to pedal. This bentor was exchanged for an electric becak without payment,” said Jagiyo, who has been a becak driver for about 40 years. Yogyakarta Mayor Hasto Wardoyo conveyed that, slowly but surely, the motorised becaks must be eliminated. Then, gradually, electric becaks will arrive. “In that way, our dream of realising the use of minimally polluting transportation (on Yogyakarta’s philosophical axis) will be achieved using electric becaks,” Hasto explained. He is targeting the replacement with electric becaks to continue up to 900 units within two years. Hasto mentioned that with CSR assistance and support from several parties to date, there are already around 260 electric becaks in Yogyakarta. Some are still under trial because they are not yet compatible, but eventually all electric becaks produced will be compatible for users and the environment. For the provision of battery charging stations for the electric becaks, Hasto hopes for support from the state electricity company PLN. His administration is ready to cooperate with PLN so that the cost of charging is not too expensive. “The condition for receiving this becak is in the form of a cooperative, not individuals. So, this cooperative is what controls, do not add more bentors. We have locked it down,” he said. His administration is also gradually destroying the motorised becaks. “Today (3/6), 50 becaks were destroyed,” he added. This means that once a motorised becak driver receives an electric becak, the old motorised becak is immediately destroyed so that no one will want to add a new motorised becak. Head of the DIY Transportation Agency, Chrestina Erni Widyastuti, said the use of electric becaks in Malioboro is part of realising a low-emission zone in the Yogyakarta philosophical axis area. “The elimination of motorised becaks carried out today is not merely a replacement of transportation modes, but is part of reducing environmental pressure and realising a low-emission zone in the Yogyakarta Philosophical Axis area,” she said. This effort is expected to reduce air pollution levels, create a healthier environment, and strengthen Yogyakarta’s image as a cultural city. Executive Vice President of KAI Regional Division 6 Yogyakarta, Bambang Respationo, said PT KAI is also committed to environmental programmes. One of them is the electric becak CSR programme, which also supports the environmental programmes of the Yogyakarta City Government and the DIY Regional Government. He stated that the procurement cost for 50 electric becaks under PT KAI’s CSR programme amounted to almost Rp 1 billion. “In Yogyakarta, there is a programme to replace motorised becaks with more environmentally friendly electric ones,” he concluded.