Jakarta governor touts city’s public transport as 2nd to Singapore’s in Southeast Asia

SINGAPORE: Earlier this week, the governor of Jakarta, Pramono Anung Wibowo, made much of the fact that, according to a survey from May, Jakarta’s public transport system is the second best in Southeast Asia, second only to Singapore.

In a written statement on Monday (Sept 8), he noted that according to the poll carried out by the UK-based media company Time Out, Jakarta’s public transport system ranked 17th in the world.

Based on the answers of 18,500 urban dwellers in more than 50 territories and countries who rated their city’s public transport, Hong Kong came out on top of the list. Singapore, meanwhile, ranked 12th.

The poll’s results were enough to cause Mr Pramono to note that it means Jakarta is “ahead of Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Bangkok, and others”, reported Tempo English earlier this week.

The report added that the governor was satisfied with the survey’s results, but underlined that Jakarta aims to do even better.

“Hopefully, together, we can ensure Jakarta not only maintains this ranking but surpasses it in the future,” he said.

After last month’s protests, some of which turned violent, public transportation in the city is now back to normal. The report noted, however, that 16 Transjakarta stops have been damaged by vandalism, and seven were set on fire.

“On the last working day of last week, Transjakarta served 1.3 million passengers, showing that Jakarta’s mobility and economy have fully recovered,” President Director of PT Transportasi Jakarta Welfizon Yuza added.

The Time Out survey

Of Jakarta’s public transport system, Time Out noted that the city received an approval rating of 79 per cent. However, unlike in other cities, the most common form of commuting is by bus.

“The TransJakarta Bus, known locally as busways, operates in its own lanes on the city’s roads to ensure service isn’t hampered by traffic and offers locals the most affordable option to get across the city. There’s also a system of Microtrans, which are medium-sized buses that serve between busway stations,” it reads.

Jakarta also has an MRT and LRT, as well as a commuter line serving Greater Jakarta.

As for Singapore, Time Out characterised its public transport network as “innovative”, noting its 82 per cent approval rating from residents.

“The MRT lines in Singapore, of which there are six, are the speediest way to get around, plus the driverless Light Transit Rail, which serves suburban areas. But it doesn’t end there – Singapore has a series of free shuttle buses and even an elevated monorail, which shuttles tourists to the beachy paradise of Sentosa Island,” it reads. /TISG