MP: KAI must continue to innovate as a mainstay of tourism

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Member of the House of Representatives Commission VII Bambang Haryo Soekartono stated that PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) must continue to innovate in order to become a mainstay for tourism transport. In addition to being used for travelling to tourist destinations, he assessed that society now also considers train journeys as tourist activities in themselves. “This is proof that trains can be relied upon from a tourism perspective,” Bambang said during a working visit to Gambir Station in Jakarta on Thursday evening. He viewed trains as a super-mass transport mode desired by the public for more affordable fares while providing comfort and safety during journeys. “And this is truly accommodated by this train transport mode. It has been proven up to now, including zero incidents,” he said. Moreover, according to him, the number of foreign tourists using rail transport is now nearly equal to those using air transport, at around 200,000 people. In addition, he urged other transport sectors to emulate the systems and services used by PT KAI, particularly the implementation of face recognition or facial scanning to ensure passenger safety. According to him, bus terminals and airports also need to implement the face recognition system. In addition to ensuring passenger identities, he said, the system can prevent fraud in ticket purchases for passengers. “So, they still buy tickets on the vehicle or on the bus, so tickets are often not given, tickets are often more expensive, up to twice as much as what I found,” said the House member who oversees industrial, tourism, and creative economy affairs.