Stop-go busway project to be revved up again

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Although still the subject of controversy, the city administration decided on Wednesday to launch the busway project by the end of this year.

"But it will be like a trial, with only two buses on the route," Deputy Governor Fauzi Bowo told reporters after listening to a briefing about the project from the city transportation agency at City Hall.

Fauzi said the launching was part of a program to familiarize the public with the service before the Rp 54 billion project would be fully operational in the next eight months.

But it is still unclear what kind of buses will be used in the project. The administration earlier expressed that they would probably use Hungarian Icarus buses to serve the busway route linking Blok M area in South Jakarta to Kota in West Jakarta.

The City Council approved last month the diversion of the Rp 54 billion busway fund for several projects, including the purchase of two trucks, digital traffic lights and computers.

But, the reallocation of the fund enraged Governor Sutiyoso who has supported the busway project since the beginning. Many urban planning experts claim that the project would worsen traffic congestion.

The reallocation of the fund was done under the authorization of agency head Rustam Effendy and certain councillors without informing Sutiyoso.