West Lombok Residents Complain of Long Queues When Buying Pertalite at Petrol Stations
Long queues of vehicles for Pertalite fuel have been observed at several petrol stations (SPBU) in West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), prompting complaints from residents that the situation is disrupting their daily activities.
Muhamad Hadi, 45, a resident of Gerung, West Lombok, expressed his bewilderment at the recent distribution of Pertalite. He believes the fuel has become scarce, leading to snaking queues at several petrol stations in West Lombok and Mataram. “This condition is really disrupting people’s activities. Especially for casual workers like me, online motorcycle taxi drivers, and other field workers who depend on fuel,” Hadi complained when met at a queue on Monday (3/8/2026).
According to Hadi, the long queues for Pertalite at several petrol stations have been occurring for the past week. He noted that, oddly, Pertamax fuel is always available at the same stations. “Maybe there are restrictions. I find it strange that every time I buy Pertalite, I always have to queue for a long time, half an hour, even an hour before I can get it,” Hadi said.
In response, PT Pertamina Patra Niaga Regional Jawa Timur, Bali, dan Nusa Tenggara (Jatimbalinus) has confirmed that fuel distribution in NTB is continuing and that supplies are in a safe condition. The company has optimised distribution to maintain the reliability of energy supplies for the community. Area Manager Communication, Relations and CSR of PT Pertamina Patra Niaga Regional Jatimbalinus, Ahad Rahedi, explained that the company has commenced operations at the Integrated Terminal (IT) Ampenan ahead of schedule. The supplier has also maximised the use of tanker truck fleets throughout NTB.
“We continue to optimise all available resources, from the early operation of IT Ampenan, the arrival of additional fuel supplies, to the utilisation of tanker truck fleets in the NTB region,” Ahad said. He stated that the first supply ship has docked at IT Ampenan carrying 2,100 kilolitres (KL) of Pertalite and 500 KL of Pertamax. Furthermore, additional supplies are being prepared via the next ship scheduled to arrive in the evening with a cargo of 2,000 KL of Pertalite and 3,000 KL of Biosolar.
Based on Pertamina’s field monitoring, fuel stocks at several petrol stations in Lombok were recorded as safe. SPBU 54.836.09 Lenek had 8 KL available, SPBU 54.836.11 Masbagik had 16 KL, SPBU 54.836.04 Sekarteja had 8 KL, and SPBU 54.836.15 Rempung had 8 KL. To alleviate the congestion, Pertamina Patra Niaga is coordinating with law enforcement officials and local stakeholders to help maintain order in the queues at petrol stations.