Transport Ministry pushes for public transport electrification through Organda

The Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) is pushing for the electrification of public transport under the auspices of the Organisation of Land Transport Owners (Organda) to accelerate the transformation of national transport into one that is environmentally friendly and sustainable. “In the context of decarbonisation, there is vehicle electrification and one of the things we want to encourage is electrification in public transport,” said Muiz Thohir, Director of Road Transport at the Directorate General of Land Transportation, in Jakarta on Wednesday. Muiz conveyed this during the Organda 2026 National Leadership Meeting (Rapimnas) in Jakarta on Tuesday (30/6), while inviting transport business operators to adapt to developments in transport technology. According to him, the transformation of public transport continues to evolve from conventional vehicles towards more modern technology, including the use of electric vehicles as part of the future of transport. “So how this transformation takes shape, inevitably, ladies and gentlemen (Organda members) must also adapt to it,” he said. However, the ministry is still facing challenges in setting a target for converting diesel-fuelled public transport into electric vehicles by 2030. “Although we are still facing challenges in setting a target for converting diesel-based public transport into electric-based transport by 2030,” Muiz stated. To support the formulation of this policy, the ministry, together with state-owned bus operator Perum Damri, visited Thailand to study the transformation of public transport from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to electric vehicles. “We recently visited Thailand with Damri to see how the transformation process from diesel or ICE-based transport to electric works,” he revealed. He added that Thailand’s experience is expected to serve as a benchmark for Indonesia in accelerating the transformation towards a cleaner, more modern, and competitive transport system. Nevertheless, he assessed that accelerating public transport electrification requires various incentives from the government so that the fleet conversion process proceeds more quickly and attracts the interest of transport business operators. “Of course, various incentives from the government are needed to encourage the acceleration of this conversion,” Muiz concluded.