Jakarta Governor in Mission to Rid City’s Procurement Process of Graft

Jakarta Globe, Lenny Tristia Tambun & Markus Junianto Sihaloho, February 19, 2014

The Jakarta administration so far this year has received a total of 656 buses.
(SP Photo)

Jakarta. Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo is using the investigation of fraud into the Rp 113 billion ($9.6 million) purchase of new buses as shock therapy and leverage to rid the city’s notoriously rigged procurement processes of corruption.

Joko and his deputy, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, vowed to bring those officials involved in the markups in the purchase to justice, an unprecedented move that could set an example of how the country could get rid of corruption in procurement processes, where the state has allocated more than Rp 400 trillion this year alone, making it the biggest potential source of corruption.

Joko vowed on Wednesday to bring all corrupt officials to book, emphasizing the need for stricter monitoring, management control and field inspections as his administration starts to implement a number of high-value projects.

“We need is better management of control. The city’s inspectorate office may be able to handle the smaller ones, but some projects are very big and we don’t have the necessary monitoring measures. That is what we want to do with the project management office,” Joko said on Tuesday.

Among the bigger projects undertaken by the government this year are the mass rapid rransit project, the monorail project, the TransJakarta project and the construction of low-cost apartments, all of which involve trillions of rupiah from the city coffers.

“This is to assist, monitor, control and audit the bigger projects. But we’re still discussing it,” Joko said.

“The city administration lacks control management, but it is impossible for me to check [on the projects] directly. Even the inspectorate cannot do so. We are assisted by the BPK [Supreme Audit Agency] and the BKPP [Financial Development Comptroller]. The inspectorate currently monitors 57 budgets.”

Indications of fraud have emerged from an investigation by the Jakarta Provincial Inspectorate office into the purchase of new buses, after the units were discovered to be unfit for use shortly after arriving in the capital from China, where they were manufactured.

“I have received the report from the inspectorate about fraud involved in the procurement of the feeder buses and buses for the Integrated City Busway facility. Apparently the irregularity was found in the tender procedure,” Basuki said.

The inspectorate had initially found no issues in the administrative process of the procurement, but eventually discovered several irregularities in tender documents, including a significant increase in prices up to the process of determining the winning tender.

“In China [the buses] are supposed to be priced at Rp 1 billion, but instead it is sold here for Rp 3 billion. So if you look at the documents, of course it is China who benefits most, it is very clear,” Basuki said, adding that he would leave the matter to law enforcement to probe.

Further review

Basuki also called on the BPKP to subject the documents to further review by financial experts and those with knowledge of project implementation issues.

He also indicated that those involved in manipulating the documents tozz conceal the foul play, were Transportation Office officials responsible for the budget and members of the committee involved in the tender process.

“They’re all very smart. The tender committee is also full of problems,” he said.

Chairman of the Jakarta Inspectorate office Franky Mangatas Panjaitan said they would be summoning the goods receipt committee as well as the TransJakarta Management Unit to clarify its findings.

“They will be asked to provide information on the goods receipting procedure and documents pertaining to the inspection of goods that were received,” Franky said.

He called on the public to remain patient while waiting for results from the probe, emphasizing that it was necessary for the institution not rush to any conclusions when making its recommendations.

Franky confirmed that there had been indications of fraud in the tender process.

“However the city administration has not yet received all of the units so we can’t come up with a general conclusion just yet,” he said. “We will have to run tests [on the buses] and test their performance. Only then will we be able to make a finding.”

The city administration so far this year received a total of 656 buses, comprising 346 for the BKTB and 346 for TransJakarta. However, less than a month into their use, 10 BKTB buses and five TransJakarta buses were found to be unfit for use, with some of their components not working properly and being rusted.

Some people have also called on the city administration to involve the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in its investigation.

“The TransJakarta case is best handled by the KPK. We are calling on Basuki to be proactive and report it to the KPK,” said Habiburokhman, central executive board chairman for the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), of which Basuki is a member.

The KPK has expressed its willingness to support city officials.

“If they want to report it to the KPK then go ahead. However, as of today, we have yet to receive any reports,” KPK spokesman Johan Budi said on Monday, as quoted by Inilah.com.

The procurement of goods purchased by government institutions have become very prone to acts of corruption.

In the most recent case, the Jakarta High Court sentenced former traffic police chief Djoko Susilo to an 18-year prison term for his involvement in the graft-ridden procurement of driving simulators.

Meanwhile, in Banten, the KPK has also uncovered allegations of embezzlement in the procurement of medical equipment for state hospitals in South Tangerang.

The central government has allocated a total of Rp 201.88 trillion for the purchase of goods and another Rp 205.84 trillion for capital expenditure in its budget for 2014.

Additionally, the state has also allocated Rp 341 trillion to provinces and districts across the country.

A recent Indonesia Corruption Watch report showed that up to 98.12 percent of the 267 corruption cases reported in the second quarter of 2013 were in regional government institutions, most in North Sumatra and East Java.

Last year 35 regional chiefs were mired in graft scandals, prompting ICW to warn of a “corruption emergency” in the country.

China's 3D Fast Bus Expected to Operate in 2011

CRIENGLISH.com, Web Editor: Zhao, 2010-08-25

4.4 to 4.5 meters high, the 3D fast bus will travel at an average speed of 60 to 80 kilometers an hour, faster than current buses, which could reduce traffic jams by 25 to 30 percent on main routes. [Photo: the Beijing Times]

A Chinese invention, the 3D fast bus, has recently passed its security evaluation and was sent to the manufacturing section on Tuesday. The bus is expected to beput into operation by the end of 2011, the Beijing Times reported.

The bus,with one story of passenger space above the ground, straddles the street and allows cars to drive under it. Powered by a combination of municipal electricity and solar power, the bus will travel at an average speed of 60 to80 kilometers an hour, faster than current buses, which could reduce traffic jams by 25 to 30 percent on main routes.

The passenger carts of the 3D fast bus, which can hold 1,200 passengers per vehicle, are flexible and can be added to create more passenger capacity during rush hour, or just leave one or two carts in operation during off-peak time.The departure intervals can also be adjusted, according to Song Youzhou, the designer of the bus.

The cost of constructing this bus system is 50 million Yuan (or 7.4 million U.S.dollars) per kilometers, which is roughly one-tenth the cost of building a subway of the same length.

The vehicles will be built by the China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Corporation. The bus track in the Mentougou district of Beijing will startconstruction at the end of this year, according to the authority of science office, Mentougou district.

Vehicles on the road through the central business district in Beijing on August 4. Thousands of vehicles are bogged down in a more than 100-kilometre (62-mile) traffic jam lon the Beijing-Tibet expressway that has lasted nine days and highlights China's growing road congestion woes. (AFP/File/Liu Jin)

Related Article:

China's nine-day traffic jam stretches 100km

Social Affairs Minister Steers Into Trouble for Using Bus Lane

Jakarta Globe, Nurfika Osman & Arientha Primanita, May 05, 2010

Social Affairs Minister Salim Segaf Al Jufri has provoked the ire of commuters and officials alike after barreling down a restricted busway lane in the morning rush hour because he was “running late for a meeting.”

“We had permission from the Jakarta Police’s Traffic Management Center in the morning, as the minister needed to avoid the traffic in the Mampang area [in South Jakarta],” Heri Kristianto, a spokesman for the ministry, told the Jakarta Globe on Tuesday.

“The minister’s aide called the police and they allowed us to use the busway lane. It was urgent. The minister needed to be at the State Palace for a meeting, and on-duty police officers helped direct the car onto the lane.”

The Traffic Management Center, however, has denied the claim. “We’ve never given any permission for official or private vehicles to use the Trans-Jakarta busway lanes,” said Adj. Comr. Mujiana, a senior officer there, in a written statement. “It’s a clear violation of regulations, as the lane should be free of all other vehicles. “We are currently in the process of keeping all lanes in all busway corridors free of other traffic. No vehicles are entitled to use them.”

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said he would reprimand Salim as soon as possible.

“We’ll warn him just as we warned a former vice president who tried the same stunt,” he said, referring to Hamzah Haz.

A picture of the minister’s car was posted on news portal detik.com and on social networking site Twitter, where it went viral.

Users posted comments ranging from, “Why doesn’t he wake up earlier, like the rest of us?” to “They expect us to obey the rules while they don’t.”

Salim posted his own tweet 12 hours after the fact to apologize.

The Transportation Study Institute has long complained about the futility of keeping the busway lanes exclusive, saying public order officials should guard them to prevent other vehicles from encroaching.

“If the city administration really wants to reduce traffic jams, it should pay more attention to the [busway] so that more people will want to use it,” said Izzul Maro, a researcher at the institute.

Related Article:

Minister gets pat on the wrist for busway blunder

Jakarta launches Transjakarta website, SMS center

The Jakarta Post | Sun, 03/28/2010 1:33 PM

The Jakarta administration on Sunday launched the Transjakarta busway website, www.transjakarta.co.id, to provide passengers with information related to its services.

“The website provides a complete map of the Transjakarta busway routes and updated information in relation to bus services. If you need any information about Transjakarta, just click on the website,” Jakarta administration officer Rina Suryani said, on the sidelines of “Jakarta Great Clean 2010” event, as quoted by kompas.com.

Transjakarta also launched a short message service [SMS] center 9250 for customers’ queries or complaints.

Jakarta acts as ‘model’ for city transport

Indah Setiawati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 02/03/2010 11:43 AM

Experts have urged the central government to push for transportation reforms in Jakarta, claiming that the city acts as a role model for other cities across Indonesia.

“Other cities in the country regard Jakarta as an ‘older sibling’, and will quickly adopt any improvements made to public transportation in the capital,” Indonesia Transportation Society (MTI) secretary-general Danang Parikesit said Tuesday.

Danang was perhaps alluding to the development of the Transjakarta bus rapid transit (BRT) system, which had lead to the development of BRT systems in several other cities including the Trans Jogja service in Yogyakarta, the Trans Semarang in Semarang, Central Java, and the Trans Pakuan in Bogor, West Java.

The BRT systems in those cities are not exactly the same as the Jakarta busway, because they do not have dedicated lanes yet. However, the design of the buses is similar, with the Trans Jogja and Trans Pakuan using smaller buses and Trans Semarang using the same size.

Reforms were urgent because the limited existing roads were not enough to serve the 120 million residents anticipated to be living in cities across Java island by 2025, Danang said.

“We only highlight the threat of traffic gridlock in Jakarta, but other big cities like Bandung [West Java] and Surabaya [East Java] will face the same problem if there is no fundamental policy change,” he said.

MTI data shows that the average speed of vehicles in Jakarta is 20 kilometers per hour, slightly higher than the 19 kilometers per hour in Bandung, and less than the 25 kilometers per hour in other big cities.

Damantoro, another expert, said the MTI recommended the reforms be supported by Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), Transport Demand Management (TDM), law enforcement and non-motorized transport.

“The reforms must be supported by these other four actions because we consider that there is no single solution for transportation in cities,”

Transportation reforms could include the development of an efficient public transportation network that was integrated with the spatial plan, Damantoro said.

He also called for the restriction of permits for private operators of public transportation, and the allocation of a budget to provide incentives and disincentives to improve the performance of transportation services.

Damantoro said TDM included restrictions on private driving licenses, and pricing schemes, spaces and times for parking management.

Indonesia needs to start using technology to enforce traffic regulations, he said.

The role of non-motorized vehicles also needed to be prioritized by providing supporting infrastructure, Damantoro said.

Danang said he did not see a concern in building housing areas near public transportation networks.

“The dispute raised by Pondok Indah residents [in South Jakarta] over the development of the Transjakarta network in the area is one example,” he said.

Danang said the MTI continued its support for the Transjakarta system, aimed at encouraging people to use public transportation instead of private vehicles.

The Transjakarta busway could be improved by clearing other vehicles from the exclusive busway lanes and adopting better technology in ticketing to make sure the system was fair, he said.

Jakarta to set service standards for busway

Indah Setiawati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 01/12/2010 9:35 PM

In a bid to improve services, the administration is planning to apply a set of minimum service standards for Transjakarta’s bus operators, five years after the public transportation system was launched.

Governor Fauzi Bowo said the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) had prepared a draft for the service standard, which is expected to take effect in three months.

“The standard will be set by the consumers foundation and representatives of the Transjakarta passengers.”

Fauzi said the minimum service standard would contain sanctions to be imposed on violating operators.

Head of the Transportation Agency M. Tauchid said several standards stated in the draft concerned the passengers’ comfort and safety, such as the bus’s condition, waiting time and maximum capacity,

He said sanctions for breaching the standards should be mentioned in the contracts between the Transjakarta Busway Management Board (BLU) and bus operators.

“The sanction can be a cut in kilometers [paid by the board], but we are still discussing it.”

Transjakarta bus catches fire at Senen

Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 12/29/2009 3:31 PM

On fire: A TransJakarta bus, plying the Kampung Melayu-Ancol route, after catching fire at Jl. Kramat, Senen, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday. No fatalities were reported. Antara/Ujang Zaelani

A Transjakarta bus caught fire on Jl. Kramat, Senen, Central Jakarta, the Jakarta Police’s Traffic Management Center reported Tuesday.

TMC officer Second Brig Denny said the bus was ablaze near the headquarters of state oil and gas company Pertamina.

He added there was no information yet on the cause of the fire or possible casualties.

Busway Services Deteriorate

KOMPAS, MONDAY, 23 NOVEMBER 2009 | 12:23 PM

Kompas / Osa Triyatna

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Transjakarta bus services, or dubbed busway, is bombarded by customers. The worn out air conditioning, dirty and littered shelters, and jammed automatic doors, among which are some of the complaints.

Aside from those complaints, the travel time and headway between busses are often unpredictable.

Security and convenience are also becoming issues, especially regarding the busses being congested with passengers during rush-hours. A customer of Transjakarta corridor III, Kalideres-Harmoni lane, said that the condition of busses and shelters are neglected, some are even littered.

"I realize that the Transjakarta bus services is a cheap means. But cheap doesn't excuse poor services," said Eviani, an employee of a private company on Hayam Wuruk street, Central Jakarta.

Two years ago, she said, the busway facility on corridor III was quite good. She wonders why now the condition has changed dramatically, and she noticed many flaws, among which are jammed shelter doors and gaps on the floor's metal panels.

"Jakartans can only construct but can't maintain. As far as I know, the operational cost for the busway is also taken from the Jakarta regional budget aside from bus fees. So the condition shouldn't remain like this," she said.

Ayunda (31), a loyal customer of busway's corridor VII (Kampung Rambutan - Kampung Melayu) and corridor V (Kampung Melayu-Ancol), said that the convenience and security aren't improving, but deteriorating instead.

"The buss' AC is not cold enough anymore. But the Lorena busses (the new armada) is still good," said the citizen from Tanjung Barat, Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, Sunday. She said that if the passengers were many, the AC didn't seem to work, so they had to fan themselves.

Aside from that, she said, sometimes the busses broke down on the way. "If the bus broke down then we get moved to another bus and must stop at the next shelter," said the employee of a private company in Senen, Central Jakarta.

According to Ayunda, in a month, the average for the bus she's on to break down is more than twice. Furthermore, the poor shelters are also inconvenient for waiting passengers.

As for security, she said, the Transjakarta is relatively safe compared to other city busses because there is an officer on-board. She claimed she has never been pick-pocketed on the busway, though she often heard stories of other passengers having had the experience.

Romi (25) concurs. As a regular on the Corridor VII, he said that the old busses should get better maintenance so they could be as good as the new ones.

"The AC isn't cold anymore. The sound system that gives information about the stops is rarely on. It's unfortunate for those who seldom take the busway," said the citizen of Pasar Rebo, East Jakarta, Sunday.

The poor shelters along that corridor are the one near Bogor mainstreet's fly-over and the one near Kramatjati central market. The automatic doors on the shelters along that lane are always open. While the shelters' glass panes and aluminum body are dirty, as if they're never cleaned.

Another busway facility that has been damaged is the street separator, as can be seen on the Harmoni-Lebak Bulus lane. The separator along that lane is heavily damaged, leaving nuts and bolts on the street that would endanger other vehicles. The nuts and bolts can be 7 cms tall. The damage is due to cars that run over the separator to move between the regular lane and the busway lane.

The Transjakarta shelter on Gatot Subroto street has been vandalized with spray paint on the glass panes and walls. The doodles have been there since several weeks ago and so far haven't been cleaned.

The Al-Azhar shelter is also suffering. The floor panels of the bridge are loose. And also, several lights on the bridge are off.

On the Cengkareng Drain shelter, Daan Mogot street, West Jakarta, the busway bridge has been used by motor-bikes, including bike-cabs, to cross the street. Not to mention a lot of beggars and peddlers on the bridge make the condition even worse. Some zinc panels on the bridge are peeling off too.

According to a Transjakarta officer, the major cleaning is only done once a week, but it doesn't include the shelters' external. "Usually just the inside is cleaned, such as the floors and window panes," said the officer who was reluctant to give his name.

Coordinator of the Joint Committee for Leaded Gasoline Phaseout (KPBB), Ahmad Safrudin, some time ago stated that many facilities and infrastructure of the busway are deteriorating because there are two corridors that aren't operational yet, Corridor IX (Pinangranti-Pluit) and Corridor X (Cililitan-Tanjung Priod).

"For almost three years the busway infrastructures on those corridors are idle," he said.

The gas fuel supply for the Transjakarta bus armada till now is still unsufficient, causing a disturbance in the bus operations. The consequence is that the passengers' waiting time, especially during rush-hours, is over 30 minutes longer than it should be.

But the head of Transjakarta's Public Service Institution (BLU), Daryati A. Fini, denies the deterioration of Transjakarta's service. She said that the service has improved since the number of passengers has increased by 10-15 percent, or from around 230,000 to 250,000 passengers increased to 270,000 everyday.

"Currently the complaints against services are lessening. This shows improving service," she said. (hertanto/C17-09)

Editor: jimbon

No way

The Jakarta Post  |  Mon, 03/09/2009 8:01 PM  
 

 No way: Police officers stop a car and a motorcycle making illegal use of the busway lane on Jl. Jatinegara Barat in Jakarta, on Monday. Jakarta Police are getting tough in the latest road discipline operation, held from March 8 to 14. JP/P.J.Leo

Everything is broken

Michael Quin, CONTRIBUTOR The Jakarta Post,  JAKARTA | Tue, 03/03/2009 12:58 PM  

 

High wire: A pedestrian steps over a hole in a footbridge over Jl. Jenderal Sudirman, South Jakarta (file photo). JP/P.J. Leo 

Along a street like any other in central Jakarta runs a fence, elegant and topped with golden paint. 

On one side of this fence sits Indonesia’s central bank with its lavish towers, lawns manicured by scores of busy hands and perfect well-swept paths. On the other side of the divide lies a cracked sidewalk with four holes, each large enough to swallow a man. 

On this, the public side of the fence, there is no careful maintenance. 

Dodging the holes is Sunoko, a 50-year-old hotelier walking home from work. He says the holes have been there for a long time and can’t understand how people are just expected to navigate them every day. 

“These holes are very dangerous,” he says. “At night if people are walking and they aren’t aware of them they might drop in. And it’s not only Jakartan people, many foreigners also walk here, looking up while they’re sightseeing.” 

Many of Jakarta’s streets are like this. Some are much, much worse. 

For those not familiar with the streets, for the tired, the drunk, those walking during floods, the vision impaired, the elderly or disabled, the danger of falling in these holes is very real. 

Kevin Radityama, a 19-year-old student in central Jakarta, once made the mistake of using a sidewalk after heavy rain. 

“I was walking in Sarinah [central Jakarta] and there was a very deep hole filled with water because of the rain. I didn’t know there was a hole so I just walked, stepped in it and I twisted my ankle. I told the police about it but they just said: what can we do?” he says. 

“When we tell the government there is a hole, or something like that, they say OK we’ll fix it. But they don’t do it, they just talk and talk. I don’t think they really care about things like this.”

The frustration of Jakartans such as Sunoko and Raditayama is clear. But for those with disabilities whose lives are severely limited by poor infrastructure, the apparent lack of interest from local government is beyond frustrating. 

Chairwoman of the Indonesian Disabled Women’s Assemblage, Ariani, says the poorly maintained streets are just part of a long list of reasons why Jakarta is a disabled person’s nightmare: 10-inch curbs, uneven footpaths, ramps too steep to use and a lack of wheelchair access on public transport all add to their worries.
 

 Paving the way: Workers pave a section of sidewalk outside the Attorney General’s Office building in South Jakarta (file photo). JP/Arief Suhardiman

“The fact that Jakarta’s roads and sidewalks are badly damaged makes even more obstacles for disabled people,” she says. 

Her organization is making recommendations to the government concerning this, but is yet to hear back or see any change. 

“The government is taking a very long time to follow up on its commitment to build facilities for the disabled,” she says. 

Other Jakartans trying to make their complaints heard have been calling community radio stations to report dangers such as potholes, fallen trees or power outages. 

Nita Roshita, from Jakarta’s 89.2 FM Green Radio, often hears from listeners concerned with the condition of the streets. Her station follows up complaints with the relevant authority. 

While the utility companies respond well and repair problems quickly, she says, public works officials can be hard to reach, often handballing inquiries from the national Public Works Ministry to the Jakarta Public Works Department and back again. 

“People are frustrated. Every three to six months the local government sends press releases saying that Jakarta has been fixed: There are no holes in the streets anymore, or there are fewer holes. But people say that is impossible because they still find holes in the street and people still have accidents because of them,” she says. 

After hearing from so many disgruntled listeners, Nita can’t understand why the authorities won’t move to resolve such a straightforward and uncontroversial issue. 

“This problem’s been going on for years and if they want to claim it in the budget and fix it then they should do it. It would be very popular,” she says. 

At the center of all this is the Jakarta Public Works Department, headed by Budi Widiantoro.

In an interview, Budi admits there are problems with Jakarta’s streets. 

“The conditions of our sidewalks aren’t good in many places, and they are dangerous, but along the main roads they are in good shape,” he says. 

Budi says his department’s priority this year is planting gardens in the city and is unable to provide any data on how many dangerous holes there might be in Jakarta, nor when they will be fixed. 

But apparently work is underway, with Rp 3 billion (US$250,000) earmarked for sidewalk maintenance this year. 

“As soon as we know about a hole, we fix it. We have our own monitoring team and sometimes we also have the information from the people who use the street,” he says. 

The monitoring team consists of one person in each of Jakarta’s 43 subdistricts. Between them all, this year, they’ve found seven holes to fix. 

The hole in the sidewalk across the street from the Jakarta Public Works office was not one of them. 

Budi explains the crumbling streets and missing cement slabs aren’t the result of poor maintenance by his department, but rather the fault of street stalls, scooters, and even thieves.

In the end, responsibility for providing safe streets rests with the Jakarta Public Works Department. 

But for all the stories of injuries resulting from holes in the sidewalks that Jakartans will tell you, the department has not once been held accountable. 

When asked why this is, Budi replies with a wide smile. 

“No one has ever made a claim against us. They could make a claim against us if they fell in a hole and injured themselves but so far no one has. I don’t know why.” 

One reason may be that most Jakartans aren’t sure they can. 

Along one particularly potholed sidewalk, passersby were asked if they’d make a claim against the local government after falling into a hole and injuring themselves. Almost 80 percent said they would not, with most of those saying they didn’t believe they could. 

Which leaves pedestrians – and government accountability – on a rocky road.

City considers adding new bus shelter in Old Town area

Agnes Winarti,  The Jakarta Post,  Jakarta | Thu, 02/19/2009 2:12 PM  

The administration is currently mulling over a plan to establish an additional Transjakarta bus shelter in the Old Town part of West Jakarta, as part of efforts to order chaotic traffic in the area. 

"We will review the newly proposed plan within a month," head of road traffic division at the city transportation agency, M. Akbar, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. 

A new Transjakarta shelter on Jl. Kunir, located in the northern part of Fatahillah Square, was proposed recently during a meeting of the coordinating team for the revitalization of Old Town area. 

The team includes officials from the city transportation agency, public works agency, district and subdistrict offices, parking unit, city cultural and tourism agency's Old Town unit, and Old Town building owners association. 

Head of the Old Town unit at the cultural and tourism agency, Candrian Attahiyat said, "The shelter would ease the flow of visitors going to the heritage area, so motorists wouldn't be caught in traffic jams." 

The plan will add another 600-meter lane, connecting the Kota shelter to the new shelter on Jl. Kunir. It will help people traveling north, south, east and west around the 840-hectare heritage site in West and North Jakarta. 

"First, we need to reduce the traffic volume in the area, which is more of a transition area for those going to Pluit and Bandengan," Akbar said. 

Under the traffic volume reduction plan, he said, the city would erect traffic signs prohibiting motorists on certain streets. 

Ella Ubaidi, from the Old Town building owners association, said the traffic solution should be integrated with the Old Town master plan. 

She said the traffic problem in Old Town was not only because of vehicle flow on the streets, but also because of motorists misusing sidewalks, which contradicted the administration's plan to turn the area into a pedestrian site. 

"It is too early to decide whether we need more busway shelters," Ella said. "We do not mind having a new shelter close to the heritage area."

Transjakarta Corridor 8 to kick off Feb. 21, Fauzi says

The Jakarta Post, Mon, 02/16/2009 2:42 PM  

JAKARTA: After canceling the launch on Feb. 14 of Tranjakarta's Corridor 8, connecting Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta to Harmoni in Central Jakarta, Governor Fauzi Bowo said Saturday the new route would be launched Feb. 21. 

"If possible, Corridor 8 will be up and running next week. To ensure this, Transjakarta has to intensify the trials all this week, day and night," Fauzi was quoted as saying by beritajakarta.com. 

He was speaking during an inspection of Corridor 8's facilities, including shelters and separators. 

On Saturday, workers repainted some separators along Jl. Pondok Indah, while several shelters in Simprug were fixed. 

Fauzi said the city had prepared 25 buses for Corridor 8. The head of city's transportation agency, M. Tauchid, said that with 25 buses, the headway was expected to reach seven to eight minutes.

Transjakarta busway corridor VIII launch set for Feb.14

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 02/04/2009 4:11 PM  

Transjakarta busway corridor VIII connecting Lebak Bulus and Harmoni will launch services on Feb. 14, said Hendah Sunugroho, the city's head of road transportation. 

Coorridor VIII, serving passengers from Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta to Harmoni, the Central Jakarta busway nexus, is expected to offer a speedy commuter alternative through the heavily trafficked areas of Pasar Jumat, Pondok Indah and Tomang Raya. 

Hendah told tempointeraktif.com Wednesday his office would repair all damaged infrastructure, including busway lane dividers and shelters, ahead of the operation. 

"The transportation agency has allocated Rp 15 billion (US$1.3 million) for the revamp but we have yet to receive the funds," he said, adding his office was now working on dividers damaged from the heavy rainfall. 

The city administration has delayed operating busway corridor VIII several times, citing lack of funds. (ewd)

Hundreds clean five Transjakarta shelters

The Jakarta Post, Tue, 01/27/2009 1:25 PM   

It was a quiet Sunday morning in the usually busy street of Jl. Jend. Sudirman. There were no cars, just Transjakarta buses and crowds of people in some of the bus shelters along Corridor 1. 

Many Jakartans, young and old, men and women alike, grasped cleaning equipment, coming together to clean some of the Transjakarta bus shelters. 

"It's fun because this is not something that happens every day and because people from different schools and communities are working together," Sasya, a student of Tarakanita High School, said on Sunday. 

The Transjakarta busway and the city administration in cooperation with the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) and sponsored by PT Coca-Cola Bottling Indonesia company held the "Cleaning the Transjakarta Bus Shelters together with Coca-Cola" event on Sunday. There were dozens of people cleaning each shelter. They cleaned the windows, swept the floor, collected trash, and pulled stickers off the walls. 

"I think there were more than 50 people to each shelter, far too many in fact, because I saw there were people doing nothing while others were working," Sasya said. 

There were hundreds of volunteers from the company, the Transjakarta employees, high school and college students, the marines, and various communities such as the Jakarta Green Monster and the Green Map, cleaning five of the total of 20 shelters along Corridor 1 from Blok M, South Jakarta to Kota, Central Jakarta. 

As of January, Transjakarta company operates 269 single buses and 13 articulated buses along 97.35 kilometers of exclusive bus lanes. 

It has 120 shelters along the routes. (JP/fmb)

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Transjakarta satisfied with work, NGO says hold on

Desy Nurhayati, THE JAKARTA POST | Fri, 01/16/2009 12:42 PM  

Transjakarta pledged to work toward improving their service in response to passengers’ criticisms on the deteriorating quality of the busway system. 

Coordinating with NGO Indonesian Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), the busway operator held a press conference Thursday to coincide with its fifth year of service. 

Transjakarta’s head of Administration Department, Anton Parura, said there were many improvement plans for the future. 

“Hopefully, we can finally open three new corridors — Corridor 8 to 10 — by early February at the latest,” Anton said. 

At least 50 buses will be deployed for Corridor 8, which will serve the Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta-Harmoni in Central Jakarta route, he said. 

Transjakarta has considered using a camera on each bus to monitor service on board, he said. 

“At the shelters, we can use fiber-optic lines to connect the cameras to our central monitoring server, but it is a bit harder to set up a real-time camera system on board mobile buses.” 

Head of Transjakarta Public Service Body D.A. Rini said that over the past five years, the company had managed to continuously improve on their targets and achievements. 

“We have managed to cover over 50 percent of our operating expenses and sell more tickets each year. 

“Despite the fact that 2008 has been satisfactory performance-wise, we still have a lot to do. We need to continue working on our performance and service,” Rini said. 

Some members of the public believe it is too early for Transjakarta to call their performance “satisfactory”. 

Transportation NGO INSTRAN criticized the busway operator for failing to provide the passengers with better services after five years of operation, particularly concerning interconnectivity and comfort. 

During a press conference Thursday, INSTRAN highlighted the long and inconsistent waiting period, leaving passengers stranded at shelters which quickly become overcrowded. 

“According to our survey, most passengers complain about discomfort. Some of them have to wait for an hour for the bus and feel uncomfortable in the overcrowded buses and shelters,” INSTRAN director Darmaningtyas said.   

Therefore, he said the busway operator should add more buses, as well as develop an integrated feeder service to serve more passengers. 

“The operator can also build bicycle and pedestrian lanes connecting each shelter.” 

The group also pointed out the operator’s failure to achieve the targeted number of passengers. The initial target was set at 5 million passengers per day via 14 planned corridors by 2010, but it has only managed to attract 230,000 passengers per day on seven corridors. 

INSTRAN said the group had calculated that for the busway system to continue operating, Transjakarta needs more than a Rp 500 billion subsidy. Darmaningtyas said the city receives Rp 5 trillion each year in revenue from vehicle taxes. 

He said this tax revenue should be used as a subsidy for the busway system. (hdt) 

Waiting Time    Targets    Reality

Less than 5 minutes    27.26%    9.72%
5-15 minutes    44.97%    36.21%
15-20 minutes    14.15%    22.55%
 

Year    Number of Passengers

2004    14,924,423
2005    20,798,196
2006    38,828,039
2007    61,439,961
2008    74,619,995
 

2004-2009 Infrastructure Report

Total corridors :     7

Total length :     97.35 kms

Total bus :      426

(23 articulated, 403 single)  

Source: Transjakarta

GREEN HOPE 2009

The Jakarta Post | Mon, 12/29/2008 10:55 AM 
 

 

GREEN HOPE 2009: Green activists straighten out a huge poster calling people to "act now, earth can't wait" hanging on the Welcome Statue at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout on Sunday.

 The poster is part of the Green Hope 2009 campaign, spearheaded by the Ministry of Environment and a number of green organizations to promote environmental protection in 2009. JP/Ricky Yudhistira

Fire engulfs Transjakarta bus

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 12/26/2008 2:09 PM  

A fire engulfed a Transjakarta busway on Friday morning in front of Atma Jaya University in South Jakarta, leaving no casualties but causing traffic jams around the area, kompas.com reports. 

The City Police Traffic Management Center (TMC) website says that it was suspecting short circuit had caused the busway, which serves corridor of Blok M-Kota, to blaze. 

"We have been able to extinguish the fire but smoke still comes out from the busway by now" it said. 

Due to the accident, traffic jam is taking place in Semanggi, causing passengers who wish to travel from Jln. Sudirman to Bundaran Hotel Indonesia, to stay alert.(ewd)

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Bandung set to operate busway system next week

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 12/16/2008 9:45 PM  

Bandung City administration is set to commence operation of its first bus-based mass transportation system, dubbed the Trans Metro Bandung (TMB), on Dec. 22. 

Bandung transportation agency head Timbul Butar-butar on Tuesday said the agency had prepared 15 temporary stops along Jl. Soekarno-Hatta. 

"The construction of permanent stops will be subject to a tender process," Timbul said as quoted by Tempointeraktif.com. 

TMB buses would use the road's slow lane, Timbul said, adding that the agency would use buses belonging to Perum Damri (state-owned land transportation company) that were currently serving the city. 

Jl. Soekarno-Hatta links Cibeureum in the western part of the city with Cibiru in the east. At present there are 11 bus routes that serve Jl. Soekarno-Hatta. (dre)

Green map prepared for next year

Mariani Dewi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 12/16/2008 11:07 AM  

The excitement of finding interesting places and events along Transjakarta bus corridors and train routes in Jakarta will soon be shared with the public, as volunteers from the Green Map community put the finishing touches to their latest work. 

The map, to be published in January, will include historical places, green spaces and neighborhoods with green activities along bus and train routes and bicycle lanes. 

"We focused on these routes to encourage people to travel in more environmentally friendly ways. The traveling will also be cheap because they can just walk around the area," Nirwono Joga, Green Map Jakarta coordinator, said Saturday after the group's last mapping activity. 

"What we want to highlight is the sustainable environment. As well as showing historical and cultural spots, we showcase places that adopt environmentally friendly practices. For instance, we show people where to go if they want to learn about composting." 

The hunt of the day uncovered not only a church in Jatinegara and a temple in Mangga Dua, but also a soup kitchen that serves free food to the poor three times a week. 

The map is made possible because of 30 excited volunteers willing to walk around bus and train stations. With journalists, office workers and students among them, the volunteers said they were hooked on the task by the excitement inherent in every discovery they made. 

First-time volunteer Diana Warti said she was particularly impressed with a temple she saw. 

"We found a lovely temple in front of a dirty market. It was nice and the staff were really welcoming. They asked us to come in and we had a long chat with them," said Diana, an office worker. She later found the temple ran bimonthly traditional activities such as hot oil showers and walking on hot coals. 

"Please tell me if there is such project again," she beseeched the mapping organizer. 

Prilia Verawati, a journalist, found the discovery of unexpectedly extraordinary people during her trips the most rewarding aspect. 

"There was one neighborhood where the people were so keen on improving their quality of life," she said. 

"They grew herbs in their small homes, they put books on herbs and husbandry at the ojek (motorcycle taxi) stand so commuters would read them and be inspired to improve themselves during their spare time. Meeting such people in this chaotic and daunting Jakarta is heartwarming." 

Nirwono said making the map gave the volunteers a reason to meet new communities -- a rare chance for people who do not work outdoors. 

"If you go to a neighborhood for no reason, the locals get suspicious. But the volunteers do have a reason and people respond well to them," he said. 

The green map community plans to establish a foundation as its seeks sustainability, and will run a series of guided tours and workshops based on the green map. It will also work with other communities, such as the bike-to-work community and the green lifestyle community to broaden its reach. 

"The community was created in 2001 but was dormant in between biannual mapping projects. This time we want it to keep running because we have very positive feedback from volunteers, companies and international organizations," Nirwono said. 

In addition to Jakarta, 16 other towns across Indonesia are also being mapped in similar projects. The Green Map concept was the brainchild of Wendy Brawer and resulted in the New York Green Map in 1992. Since then, the initiative has been embraced in 53 countries, with more than 350 maps drawn up.