The trials and tribulations of city public transportation

The trials and tribulations of city public transportation

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Suhari spends almost one-third of his day on the road. It is not
because he is a driver. The employee of a company in Kota,
Central Jakarta, spends, on average, nearly six hours in public
vehicles because he lives in East Bekasi, which is about 40
kilometers away from his workplace.

He wakes at 4:15 a.m and leaves home by 5 a.m. The 30-year-old
man has to take three different public vehicles to get to his
office. Normally, it is very slow due to serious traffic
congestion, so if there are no accidents or demonstrations
causing worse traffic, he normally will arrive at his office at
7.30 a.m. Giving him just a few minutes to eat his breakfast.

Suhari leaves his office at 5 p.m. and rushes to get public
transportation. He usually gets home at about 8 p.m.

"It's tiring, of course. But I am used to it," he told The
Jakarta Post.

Suhari has done this for about 18 months now. He and his wife
previously rented a house in Petojo, Central Jakarta, and he took
a motorbike to work.

The couple moved to their home in Bekasi after they had a
baby. Suhari sold his motorbike to help pay the downpayment on
the house.

"Living in our own home was our dream since we got married. I
couldn't afford to buy a house in the city. I know that my house
is too far from my office, but that's okay," he said.

However, Suhari complained about the condition of public
transportation.

"Do you realize how bad the conditions are? I am usually lucky
enough to get a seat, but I never get any rest as it is always
overcrowded, not to mention the hassles of street traders and
beggars (who come aboard to solicit passengers)," he said.

Another commuter, Adie, also shared a similar experience.

He works in Grogol, West Jakarta, and lives in Tajur, Bogor.
Just like Suhardi, he gets up early in the morning. He takes a
public minivan, a train and a public bus to reach his office.

"It's not comfortable at all, either by minivan, train or
bus," Adie said.

Adie also complained about the safety in the public vehicles
as passengers often were victims of crime.

Jakarta has always been a magnet for people from outside the
city because it offers more economic opportunities compared to
other places.

At noon, Jakarta is home to 14 million people. By night, the
number can go down to eight million. About four million people
live in satellite cities such as Depok, Bogor, Bekasi and
Tangerang, just outside of Jakarta city limits.

The satellite cities offer more affordable houses compared to
those in the city.

However, the city administration has failed to provide proper
public vehicles to transport the commuters. According to 2000
data, there were 5,411 buses, 4,981 minibuses and 11,848
minivans, most in a state of disrepair, to cater to the millions
of commuters.

There is also no proper coordination between the city
administration and the neighboring administrations. As a result,
there is no integrated transportation system covering all of
Greater Jakarta.

Worse still, most of the available buses and minivans are in
poor condition, some barely roadworthy, most are unsafe at best.
Transportation experts have repeatedly called on the
administration to provide an efficient mass rapid transportation
system. Unfortunately, it is still a distant dream.