As the center of state economy and government, the high mobility in Jakarta is understandable. The daily activities are quite dense too. The development of public transportation happened in order to support the activity of society. People nowadays can use different forms of public transportations varying from those that operate underground (subways) to flyovers. Of course, the current public transportation provided by the government is comfortable and safe to use in order to be a mainstay for the users. Jakarta’s transportation services continue to develop to achieve smart-mobility concepts. How has Jakarta's transportation transformation been going so far?
Tram, the beginning of MRT, KRL, and LRT
Tram is the first rail-based public transportation that triumphed in 1868, or when Jakarta was still called Batavia. The shape of the tram was quite similar to a train. There were special rails located within the city. However, the carriages were not as many as those owned by the train. Since its operations, Tram has developed many times.
Now, Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), Kereta Rel Listrik (KRL), and Light Rail Transit (LRT) are here to replace the trams. The difference from this rail-based transportation is in the power source and the type of the rail.
Oplet, Mikrobus before Mikrotrans
Since the 1950s, Autolettes or commonly known as “Oplet” by the Betawi people have become one of the most popular forms of transportation. The presence of this small passenger car did not cause too much traffic like a bus at that time. This public transportation comes from a sedan from England with one door at the back which is used as an access for passengers to enter and exit. But, in 1979, the “oplet” was replaced by microbus because the car was getting old. The microbus system is the same as the “angkot” (a public minibus transport) but the quality of the service has started to degrade. After some time, many passengers have switched to online transportation. However, the innovation of microbus continues. Until now there are blue, red, and white “mikrotrans”. In addition, air conditioning, CCTV, and seat belts are now built and provided in “mikrotrans”, and it even accepts payments by electronic card.
Metromini Bus Innovations to Become TransJakarta
Almost all Jakartans have their own story of getting on the orange bus. Before being known as a mode of transportation in 1962, buses were presented in Indonesia for the transportation needs of the ASEAN Games and Games of The New Emerging Forces (GANEFO 1963). Since its inception, Metromini has been known as “The Red Bus”. Then in 1976, PT Metromini was established along with Koperasi Angkutan Jakarta (Kopaja) to manage and meet the public transport needs. But, after several years, the bus was no longer safe or suitable to use, and finally the license was revoked. To replace bus transportation, TransJakarta came to be and provided a safer and comfortable travel experience equipped with air conditioning and electronic tap-on machines.
The development of Jakarta’s transportation continues to grow. Moreover, the plan is to spread it to other areas such as Bekasi, including Kalimalang. The high traffic flow of Bekasi residents to Jakarta is one of the reasons for the need to build mass transportation immediately. One of which is in the form of the MRT. Hopefully, in the future, Bekasi residents will also be able to switch from private vehicles to public transport when traveling to Jakarta. Likewise, the people of Jakarta will experience effortless travel to Bekasi City by public transportation.
Author: Lady Yesisca J, S.I.Kom.
Editor: Michael Mike P. Isla, B.E.Ed.,
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