Riau Islands Provincial Government to Use Electric Buses Starting in 2027

The Riau Islands Provincial Government (Pemprov Kepri), through its Transportation Agency (Dishub), will use electric buses for public transportation starting in 2027. “Insya Allah, gradually next year we will begin procuring electric buses for the Tanjungpinang city area,” said the Head of Dishub Kepri, Junaidi, at the Regional Building in Tanjungpinang, Kepri, on Monday. Junaidi mentioned that his side has already explored cooperation for procuring electric buses with private entities producing them on Java island. In fact, Junaidi and his team have directly tested one of the electric buses operating in Bandung, West Java. “The bus is very good. Passenger capacity is around 15 people. It’s suitable for implementation in Tanjungpinang, such as transporting schoolchildren to employees,” he said. In addition, Junaidi stated that the price of the electric bus is quite affordable, at Rp400 million per unit, including delivery costs to the Kepri region. He mentioned that the electric bus procurement plan will use funds from the Kepri Provincial Budget (APBD). “On Java island, many electric buses are already operating, replacing angkot or minibuses,” he revealed. Junaidi conveyed that the use of electric buses as intra-city transport can save operational costs more effectively, as they do not use fuel oil (BBM), but rather electrical energy stored in batteries. Besides saving on BBM, he said, the use of electric buses also serves as an environmentally friendly public transportation solution that is free from air pollution. Regarding supporting infrastructure for electric buses, Junaidi continued, his side will request support from PT PLN to build charging stations (SPKLU) and connect electricity for the electric bus depot. “Currently, PLN has already built several SPKLU in Tanjungpinang, one of which is on Penyengat Island to support the operation of electric motorised rickshaws,” Junaidi added.