Yogyakarta Begins Banning Tour Buses from Zero Kilometre Point
The Yogyakarta City Government has begun enforcing a ban on tour buses transiting through the Zero Kilometre Point area starting this weekend, Saturday, 14 March 2026. The city government has also prohibited tour buses from parking at the Senopati Special Parking Area (located opposite the Taman Pintar attraction) during the same period.
This policy has been implemented to ease traffic congestion that has persistently plagued the city centre for years, particularly during extended holiday periods.
“This policy also represents an effort to organise the semi-pedestrian zone and manage cleanliness issues that have long been problematic in the city centre,” said Yogyakarta City Mayor Hasto Wardoyo on Thursday, 12 March 2026.
As an alternative, Hasto explained that the Yogyakarta City Government has prepared a traffic diversion scheme and new parking locations for tour buses. Tour bus traffic will be directed to use facilities at Ngabean Parking and the former Kotabaru Coffee Tower.
When tour buses arrive from the eastern direction and reach Gondomanan intersection, they will be diverted northward if they intend to park at the Former Coffee Tower. However, if they wish to park at Ngabean, they will be directed to the southern route or Pojok Beteng. Meanwhile, tour buses arriving from the western direction along Jalan Wates will be directly directed to the Ngabean parking area.
Hasto emphasised that although tour buses are prohibited from entering, this does not mean the Senopati parking area is completely closed to tourists. Private four-wheeled vehicles or small cars will still be granted access to parking facilities at that location.
Hasto explained that the primary focus of this policy is to organise the neatness of the area, including regulating street vendors and waste management, which frequently become problematic due to passenger activity from buses.
In addition to organising tour bus routes and parking, the Yogyakarta City Government is also preparing additional strategies for the Lebaran holiday period to prevent total congestion in the Malioboro shopping area. Access to the Malioboro zone will be tightened more strictly. This will be done by making Jalan Mataram (east of Malioboro) the only entry point for vehicles heading to the Malioboro area.
“Malioboro during this Lebaran holiday can only be entered from Jalan Mataram to prevent excessive vehicle congestion,” he said.
Head of Traffic Unit of Jogja Polresta AKP Alvian Hidayat stated that the policy regulating tour bus routes and parking in the city centre is predicted to significantly reduce congestion by reducing the burden of large vehicles on narrow roads.
According to him, redirecting large vehicle traffic to the city’s periphery will provide more space for other road users around the Zero Kilometre Point area.
“The Zero Kilometre Point area will have a significantly reduced burden, since large vehicles will no longer pass through,” he said.