Transjabodetabek Fare Hike Must Be Measured, Says Expert

A senior researcher at the Institut Studi Transportasi (Instran), Deddy Herlambang, has stated that a tariff adjustment for Transjabodetabek services is necessary because current fares do not reflect the actual cost of service, especially for long-distance routes such as Blok M–Bogor and Blok M–Soekarno-Hatta Airport. “For KRL, Bogor-Jakarta Kota is Rp6,000, Bogor-Manggarai is Rp5,000. If it’s Rp3,500, it’s very, very cheap. At the very least, the price should be competitive with KRL,” Deddy said on Thursday (11/6/2026).

Nevertheless, Deddy stressed that any fare adjustment must consider the public’s ability and willingness to pay (ATP-WTP), given the current economic pressures. “We are in an economic crisis. Fuel prices have risen—although Pertalite is safe, others have gone up. Cooking oil has gone up, rice has gone up. This fare increase must not add to the public’s burden. I think a fare adjustment is fine, but we must be careful in setting the tariff,” he said.

He highlighted the Transjabodetabek route SH12 (Blok M–Soekarno-Hatta), which currently costs Rp3,500 for a distance of about 65 kilometres. He considers this tariff too low compared to operational costs and estimates that a more reasonable fare would be between Rp10,000 and Rp15,000, especially since the users are predominantly air passengers. “For air passengers, a fare of Rp10,000 to Rp15,000 is still very cheap and affordable. A plane ticket can cost millions of rupiah, so why is the feeder to the airport only Rp3,500?” he said.

However, he cautioned that a special fare scheme is needed for airport workers so that the increase does not burden them. “For employees working at the airport, shop staff, restaurant workers, a fare of Rp10,000 to Rp15,000 might still be relatively expensive. So, specifically for the airport, there may need to be a special ticket for these workers,” he said. Deddy estimates there are around 50,000 workers active in the Soekarno-Hatta Airport area. He believes that increasing public transport usage among this group could help reduce congestion and subsidised fuel consumption.

Previously, Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung stated that a fare adjustment for Transjabodetabek is under review, particularly for long-distance routes with higher operational costs. “There will indeed be a price adjustment, especially for certain long sections that require additional costs, for example, the route to Soekarno-Hatta which has three parking locations,” Pramono said. He noted that additional costs such as parking fees and long travel distances contribute to the increased operational expenses. Pramono emphasised that the fare increase will not be applied uniformly and will take into account the public’s economic capacity. “Not all Transjabodetabek fares will be raised significantly. As governor, I must also consider the people’s ability in the current situation,” he said. He also opened the possibility of expanding the group of citizens eligible for free transport services to maintain public access.