Road users hope B50 will reduce pollution and lower fuel prices
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Road users hope the launch of the mandatory Biodiesel 50 (B50) programme by President Prabowo at the KM 57 Rest Area in Karawang, West Java, on Thursday (9/7) will make the environment cleaner from pollution and fuel prices more affordable.
According to a private vehicle user named Rafi, the use of biodiesel with a higher bioenergy content is a positive step by the government in protecting the environment. “I think with this B50, it’s much more ‘go green’. It’s one of the government’s moves to reduce pollution,” Rafi said.
He hopes the programme’s benefits will not only be felt from an environmental perspective but also through more stable supply availability. He noted there are still times when people struggle to get diesel. “Hopefully, the stock should be more abundant. Sometimes I also had difficulty before the B50. So after this, the B50 stock should be stable. As for the price, it’s already cheap and good,” he said. Rafi also expressed his appreciation to the government for continuously presenting various innovations for the public.
Similar hopes came from Oyo, a coconut trader from Ciamis. Almost every day, he travels long distances to deliver coconuts to Indramayu and Karawang. For him, fuel costs are a crucial component of running his business. “Hopefully, in the future, it will run smoothly, be cheaper, and be good for the engine. Hopefully, the government will keep fuel standards from rising continuously so it’s easier for the public,” Oyo said.
For Imron, a truck driver, that day was his first experience using B50. Although he has not yet felt the impact on vehicle performance, he has high hopes that the fuel will provide better benefits for freight drivers. “Hopefully it will be cheaper, and not be priced the same as regular biodiesel. Because this B50 is produced from palm oil,” he said.
Vivi also had her first experience with the fuel. She had always used regular biodiesel because the B50 option was not yet available. She believes the presence of this new fuel is a good step if it can reduce Indonesia’s dependence on energy imports. “It’s good if we don’t need to import anymore, so we can hope that in the future it will be cheaper and good for the car, for the diesel engine,” Vivi said.
Meanwhile, Riandi, who works daily at a travel company, views B50 as an innovation that brings optimism to the transportation and logistics sector. He considers the use of biodiesel an effort to strengthen national energy security and hopes its development will continue so that the benefits are increasingly felt by the wider community. “It’s very good, especially for Indonesians who use diesel, it’s excellent. Hopefully, biodiesel will always develop, become cheaper, and be better for the engine, especially for its users,” he said.