As the current economic and government centre in Indonesia, Jakarta has a population with a fairly high level of mobility. Thus, it affects traffic conditions. To anticipate traffic jams, the Jakarta Provincial Government is actively developing public transportation for residents. By implementing smart mobility through the use of public transportation, Smartcitizens can save time and energy while traveling to their respective activities. In addition, good traffic conditions will also support the progress of the city of Jakarta.

Currently, there are various public transportation options that Smartcitizen can use. Starting from operating on the road to underground. However, what about Jakarta's old transportation system? This time, the Jakarta Smart City Team summarizes the development of Jakarta's transportation from time to time for you.

Jakarta Transportation Transformation

Tram as the Forerunner of MRT, KRL, and LRT

When it was still called Batavia, Jakarta had one transportation that had triumphed, namely the tram. Tram itself is a train with special rails located in the city. In fact, the tram in Batavia which is operated by Bataviasche Tramweg Maatschappij (BTM) is the forerunner of the rail transportation service that we now use in Jakarta. First released in 1869, the first tram in Batavia used horsepower. It was only in 1882, they were switching to the steam tram. The use of steam trams is considered more efficient because the travel time becomes shorter. The route taken by the tram in Batavia at that time was from Kota Intan (now known as Kali Besar) to Kampung Melayu. However, the tram could not survive. After the presence of other public transportation such as city buses which were considered more efficient, trams were forced to stop operating.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Now, Jakarta has other rail-based transportation, which are Mass Rapid Transit, Commuter Line Electric Rail Train (KRL), and Light Rail Transit (LRT). At first glance, you may not be able to find the difference between the three. Because, both operate on rails, do not use locomotives, and use electricity to operate. However, the difference between the three can be seen from the power source and the type of rail. MRT and KRL have power supply from the top of the train with a number of pairs of rails for each. While the LRT has a down-flow power source and uses three rails. In terms of capacity, the three are quite different. KRL has the largest capacity, MRT coes second, LRT comes last. Currently, this train-based means of transportation is a mainstay for workers in Jakarta who need to commute from home to office, and vice versa.

Regarding the area of ​​operation, KRL Commuter Lain has the most stations, namely 80 in Jabodetabek. The LRT has 18 stations in Greater Jakarta, while the MRT only operates in Jakarta with a total of 13 stations.

From Oplet To Microtrans, The Modern Mikrolet

Having existed since the 1950s, oplet, which is a small passenger car, became the most popular public transportation in Jakarta in the 1960-1970s. How come? At that time, there were not many alternatives to public transportation. Oplet was superior because it is small in size, does not need to have many passengers to operate, and does not cause traffic jams like buses. The oplet routes at that time were quite diverse, for example the most frequently travelled were from Jatinegara, Matraman Raya, Salemba Raya, Senen, Pasar Baru, Harmoni. However, later routes were added from Kampung Melayu-Tanah Abang, Kota-Tanjung Priok, and Tanah Abang-Kebayoran Lama. To be able to travel using an oplet, the way is easy.

Oplet can be found at the station or every corner of the city. Each oplet has its own number that determines the route of the oplet. Therefore, visitors need to know the oplet number of the route they want to go. The oplet will start running when the passenger is fully loaded. During the journey to the final destination, the driver may stop it for a while to wait for other passengers to fill the empty slots. If you have reached your destination, but the fleet has not stopped, you need to remind the driver to stop.

Taking the shuttle is easy, the fleet is large. Unfortunately, over time, the oplet fleet in Jakarta is getting old and no longer functioning properly. Therefore, in 1979, the Governor of DKI Jakarta, Tjokropranolo, who was in office at the time, replaced the oplet with mikrolet. Actually, mikrolet also has a system similar to angkot. However, the fleet was new with more sophisticated machines.

However, just like its predecessor, namely Oplet, Mikrotrans is also experiencing setbacks day by day. Not many were comfortable using microbuses in the midst of the rapid changes in people's lifestyles, especially since the era of online transportation. Therefore, the Jakarta Provincial Government and the DKI Jakarta Transportation Service issued a Mikrotrans innovation, namely the modern microbus. Currently, there are Microtrans in blue, red, and air-conditioned ones in white. 

Before entering the microtrans, passengers need to point their hand at the sensor to open the door. After that, passengers are greeted with soft seats. Not only prioritizing comfort, Microtrans also pays attention to passenger safety by providing a seatbelt for each passenger as well as four surveillance cameras (CCTV) in the front, in the driver's area, in the passenger section, and behind, a panic button that can be pressed for emergencies. doors that can only be opened and closed by the driver, fire hydrant or fire extinguisher, glass breaker for emergency conditions, and air purifier. Near the passenger entrance, there is an LED TV that shows various information for passengers, such as the time and destination of the fleet. Next to it, there is also a tap on the machine for you to pay fees using a JakLingko card or other electronic card. On the outside of the microtrans, there is a Running Text LED that contains the travel route, so that prospective passengers don't have to have trouble finding the microtrans with the desired route.

In order to make it easier for public transportation users, the Jakarta Transportation Service has also integrated Mikrotrans with JakLingko. So that passengers can not only ride Mikrotrans for free if they tap the JakLingko card, but also make it easier for information updates.

Metromini and Kopaja Bus Modified to TransJakarta

Now, let’s look into the transportation that contains more passengers, the city buses. Before TransJakarta, other bus-based transportation modes were used, which were Metromini and Kopaja. Initially, the metromini or what was then called the Robur bus was ordered by the government from East Germany to be a mode of transportation for the 1962 ASEAN Games and the Games of The New Emerging Forces. In 1976, the ownership was taken by the government and managed under the auspices of PT. Metromini coincides with Kopaja. Thanks to their ability to meet the transportation needs of residents with a large capacity and other facilities, Metromini and Kopaja succeeded in becoming the rulers of the streets in Jakarta during the 1990s. 

However, there was a company problem that resulted in the Metromini and Kopaja fleets being on the edge. The fleet was no longer safe and usable, until finally 1,603 metromini were revoked their operating rights in 2015. Since 2019, the operating rights for Metromini and Kopaja have been revoked and we can no longer see these two legendary transportations on the capital’s street.

The city bus-based transportation that residents are interested in after–even before–Metromini and Kopaja are disbanded, is Transjakarta. But the difference is, if you’d think of hot weather and reckless vehicles when hearing the word Metromini and Kopaja, then the same thing won’t happen with Transjakarta. These fleets are equipped with air conditioning so that passengers have a pleasant bus ride experience. To pay the fare, passengers also don't need to bother preparing cash because they can pay using an electronic card through the tap on machine available on the bus.

Transjakarta itself is the first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) transportation system in Southeast Asia and South Asia which has the longest track in the world. First operating on February 1, 2004, Transjakarta has now become a companion for the people of Jakarta in their activities in the capital. During its operation, Transjakarta has made a number of innovations, such as the opening of new corridors and the addition of a fleet. However, one of Transjakarta's wisest innovations occurred in 2017. That year, Transjakarta launched a fleet of 116 new buses. Transjakarta also purchased 300 units of low-entry buses with low floors so that they are friendly to people with disabilities. The same impactful innovation was also created by Transjakarta in the same year by presenting Transjakarta Cares at the launch of 116 buses at City Hall and Monas. Transjakarta Cares services can be used free of charge for persons with disabilities in Jakarta. Several times, Transjakarta also held site visits with various participants, ranging from the elderly from nursing homes to people from RPTRA.

One of Transjakarta's latest innovations is the operation of electric buses. For the first time, in March 2022, Governor Anies Baswedan inaugurated 30 Transjakarta electric buses. The hope is that this effort can support zero emission efforts per 2030 and inspire other stakeholders to do the same.

Until now, PT. Transjakarta has 1,347 buses. These buses consist of single and articulated buses with details of the Zhongtong Coupled Bus, Scania Coupled Bus, Yutong Articulated Bus, Hino Bus, Mercedez-Benz Bus, International Coach Bus Double-Decker (BCI), MAN Double-Decker Bus, and Mercedes-Benz Double-Decker Bus. Benz.

Isn't it interesting the transformation of Jakarta's transportation modes from time to time? The Jakarta Provincial Government through the DKI Jakarta Transportation Service will continue to provide transportation services that are not only accessible and cheap, but also environmentally friendly as part of implementing a smart city. From now on, let’s continue to support the agenda by taking public transportation everywhere!