Jakarta BRT

[jpatokal]

Selamat malam from Jakarta, where I caught my first glimpse of the BRT today (sitting in a private car driving along it, I'm afraid, but hey...)

In infamously congested Jak, the single BRT line across the heart of the city seems genuinely popular and there are plans to open a second line by the end of the year and get a total of 15(!) running by the end of the decade.

Most notable feature: the special "Transjakarta" BRT buses have the doors really, really high up, around a meter high above the level of the wheels. This makes it effectively impossible to board the bus anywhere other than the official BRT stations, which are generally in the middle of the road and accessed by walkways. The stations have air-con and doors that open only when a bus arrives. The BRT lanes are offset from the main road by large divider bumps and were remarkably free of not only cars but also ojeks, bajajs and the other motorized detritus of Indonesia's cities, where the concept of "lane" is usually ignored completely!

And, um, that's about it. Have there been any detailed proposals of the design of BKK's stations and buses themselves, or are they still just fighting over the routes?

[jpatokal]

Selamat malam from Jakarta, where I caught my first glimpse of the BRT today (sitting in a private car driving along it, I'm afraid, but hey...)

In infamously congested Jak, the single BRT line across the heart of the city seems genuinely popular and there are plans to open a second line by the end of the year and get a total of 15(!) running by the end of the decade.

Most notable feature: the special "Transjakarta" BRT buses have the doors really, really high up, around a meter high above the level of the wheels. This makes it effectively impossible to board the bus anywhere other than the official BRT stations, which are generally in the middle of the road and accessed by walkways. The stations have air-con and doors that open only when a bus arrives. The BRT lanes are offset from the main road by large divider bumps and were remarkably free of not only cars but also ojeks, bajajs and the other motorized detritus of Indonesia's cities, where the concept of "lane" is usually ignored completely!

And, um, that's about it. Have there been any detailed proposals of the design of BKK's stations and buses themselves, or are they still just fighting over the routes?

[Wisarut]

For the case BKK BRT Project, please take a lopok here at:

BMA has come up with the website abotu BMA BRT here:

http://203.155.220.217/office/dotat/activity/BRT/detail/brt.htm
Bigger BMA BRT is here:
http://203.155.220.217/office/dotat/activity/BRT/map/mapbig/mapbig.htm

BRT Mochit - Kaset - Nawamin road
http://203.155.220.217/office/dotat/activity/BRT/detail/images/10.jpg

BRT Surawongse - Chong Nonsee - Rama 3 - Bangkok Bridge - Ratchapruek Road
http://203.155.220.217/office/dotat/activity/BRT/detail/images/11.jpg
BRT Networks
http://203.155.220.217/office/dotat/activity/BRT/map/mapbrtsmall.jpg


After BMT has ignited the Fury from BMTA by telling BMTA NOT ot meddle into BMA Affairs on BRT, The Member of BMA Council told the pres that he afraid that the BMA Pet project of BRT will be FOLDED ... due to many Irregularities such as :

1) Purchasing BRT buses instead of leasing the BRT buses - a big source of Curruption and Collusion .... leasign will leave the burden on the maintianance to the producers and suppliers instead of BMA.

2) NO Feeder system for BRT to increase the number of passengers

3) The Feuds with BMTA on BRT issues will render BRT systrem useless ..
BMA beter hire either BTS, BMTA or BMCL to handle this BRT services instead.

The BMA Board REFUSE to answer the BRT issues raised by BMA Council ... The indication of Corruption and Collusion indeed ...

[Wisarut]

For the case BKK BRT Project, please take a lopok here at:

BMA has come up with the website abotu BMA BRT here:

http://203.155.220.217/office/dotat/activity/BRT/detail/brt.htm
Bigger BMA BRT is here:
http://203.155.220.217/office/dotat/activity/BRT/map/mapbig/mapbig.htm

BRT Mochit - Kaset - Nawamin road
http://203.155.220.217/office/dotat/activity/BRT/detail/images/10.jpg

BRT Surawongse - Chong Nonsee - Rama 3 - Bangkok Bridge - Ratchapruek Road
http://203.155.220.217/office/dotat/activity/BRT/detail/images/11.jpg
BRT Networks
http://203.155.220.217/office/dotat/activity/BRT/map/mapbrtsmall.jpg


After BMT has ignited the Fury from BMTA by telling BMTA NOT ot meddle into BMA Affairs on BRT, The Member of BMA Council told the pres that he afraid that the BMA Pet project of BRT will be FOLDED ... due to many Irregularities such as :

1) Purchasing BRT buses instead of leasing the BRT buses - a big source of Curruption and Collusion .... leasign will leave the burden on the maintianance to the producers and suppliers instead of BMA.

2) NO Feeder system for BRT to increase the number of passengers

3) The Feuds with BMTA on BRT issues will render BRT systrem useless ..
BMA beter hire either BTS, BMTA or BMCL to handle this BRT services instead.

The BMA Board REFUSE to answer the BRT issues raised by BMA Council ... The indication of Corruption and Collusion indeed ...

[jpatokal]

Yes, I've seen those maps before, but how about the system design? The BRT site you link to shows both ordinary buses that just say "BRT", and the road-center platform with red buses that look very much like the TransJakarta high-floor BRT buses.

[jpatokal]

Yes, I've seen those maps before, but how about the system design? The BRT site you link to shows both ordinary buses that just say "BRT", and the road-center platform with red buses that look very much like the TransJakarta high-floor BRT buses.

[jpatokal]

So today I had the rare chance to add another mode of transport to my ever-expanding collection -- BRT! More specifically, the Trans-Jakarta Busway (http://trans.jakarta.go.id/), the only "real" (fully separated) BRT in Asia.

Good:
- I was quite positively surprised by how spiffy Jakarta's system was. Stations and buses have functional air-con, stations have doors that are opened only when buses come, the buses have LCD displays and recorded announcements of the next stations. There are staff inside every station and every bus making sure things work smoothly.
- It's considerably faster than the alternative, namely sitting in traffic. I traveled Monas -> Kota/Kota -> Bunderan HI on a Saturday afternoon and, especially for the return trip from Kota, it was obvious that the bus was traveling much faster than ordinary cars stewing in a jam.
- Frequency of service is quite high, buses comes every few minutes and it appeared that at rush hour the services were increased to meet demand (?).
- The dedicated lane seems well-respected, I didn't see a single car attempt to abuse it. The raised separator of course helps.
- At Rp 2,500 a ride (flat fare), or around 10B, it's fairly cheap even by Indonesian standards.
- There's a multiple-ticket system available that uses smartcards. (Single rides are just cards inserted into the gate.)

Bad:
- It's still just a bus traveling at grade, so it stops at traffic lights as well as stations. In addition, cars, bikes, pushcarts, crazy pedestrians etc cross the bus lanes when turning and often blocked the bus's progress at least temporarily.
- It's still just a bus, so the stop-and-go ride is bumpy and jerky compared to a rail system.
- The BRT chews up two lanes and then some on Thamrin and Sudirman, two of Jakarta's busiest streets, so the traffic jams for people not using the BRT are (evidently) even more horrific than before.
- Ridership is slowly going up and the webpage crows about hitting a new rekor of 68,067 orang in one day. That only leaves about 12,982,000 other Jakartans to take care of...
- Not all stations have elevated bridges, so you need to cross the road to get to them.
- The elevated bridge ramps are wheelchair-friendly, but the 30-40cm gap between station and bus is not.

I also stumbled into an exhibit of Jakarta's planned mass transit system in, of all places, the National Revolutionary Museum in the basement of the National Monument. True to form it was poorly lit and crumbling less than two years after it was installed, just like the plan itself... but I'll try to get my picture of the route map up later.

[jpatokal]

So today I had the rare chance to add another mode of transport to my ever-expanding collection -- BRT! More specifically, the Trans-Jakarta Busway (http://trans.jakarta.go.id/), the only "real" (fully separated) BRT in Asia.

Good:
- I was quite positively surprised by how spiffy Jakarta's system was. Stations and buses have functional air-con, stations have doors that are opened only when buses come, the buses have LCD displays and recorded announcements of the next stations. There are staff inside every station and every bus making sure things work smoothly.
- It's considerably faster than the alternative, namely sitting in traffic. I traveled Monas -> Kota/Kota -> Bunderan HI on a Saturday afternoon and, especially for the return trip from Kota, it was obvious that the bus was traveling much faster than ordinary cars stewing in a jam.
- Frequency of service is quite high, buses comes every few minutes and it appeared that at rush hour the services were increased to meet demand (?).
- The dedicated lane seems well-respected, I didn't see a single car attempt to abuse it. The raised separator of course helps.
- At Rp 2,500 a ride (flat fare), or around 10B, it's fairly cheap even by Indonesian standards.
- There's a multiple-ticket system available that uses smartcards. (Single rides are just cards inserted into the gate.)

Bad:
- It's still just a bus traveling at grade, so it stops at traffic lights as well as stations. In addition, cars, bikes, pushcarts, crazy pedestrians etc cross the bus lanes when turning and often blocked the bus's progress at least temporarily.
- It's still just a bus, so the stop-and-go ride is bumpy and jerky compared to a rail system.
- The BRT chews up two lanes and then some on Thamrin and Sudirman, two of Jakarta's busiest streets, so the traffic jams for people not using the BRT are (evidently) even more horrific than before.
- Ridership is slowly going up and the webpage crows about hitting a new rekor of 68,067 orang in one day. That only leaves about 12,982,000 other Jakartans to take care of...
- Not all stations have elevated bridges, so you need to cross the road to get to them.
- The elevated bridge ramps are wheelchair-friendly, but the 30-40cm gap between station and bus is not.

I also stumbled into an exhibit of Jakarta's planned mass transit system in, of all places, the National Revolutionary Museum in the basement of the National Monument. True to form it was poorly lit and crumbling less than two years after it was installed, just like the plan itself... but I'll try to get my picture of the route map up later.

[jpatokal]

Here's an interesting read on the TransJakarta system:

http://www.itdp.org/read/transjakarta.pdf (8 MB PDF)

Note that this was written before the inauguration of the system and the forecasts of doom within seem to have been too pessimistic: real volumes with the Rp 2500 fare they recommend against are closer to 70k/day, not the 20-30k/day projected.

[jpatokal]

Here's an interesting read on the TransJakarta system:

http://www.itdp.org/read/transjakarta.pdf (8 MB PDF)

Note that this was written before the inauguration of the system and the forecasts of doom within seem to have been too pessimistic: real volumes with the Rp 2500 fare they recommend against are closer to 70k/day, not the 20-30k/day projected.

[pong]

nice to see&read this, dear Mr. Pokal. Incidentally I was in the lucky country of OZ last month (numerous Thai restaurants of rather dubious ownership: notsoThai at all!), and this sunny city (with heavy downpours, also BKKstyle when I was, after a nearyear of draught) also boats a some 15 kms long busway, in fact along a major 'free'way' as USers call it. From the city to South-East, via the newly developed South bank area, along the highway, via some Universities, as far as garden City, after which many buses run further, over the freeway.
A mutlitude of buses serve it, up to >40 lines, most fanning out into the hinterland. Normal zonal fares are charged (even though BNE now has a Euro-style zonal easy faresystem, paying tickets stil lead to long stopdwelltimes, though most pax hold a season), from 2 AU$ till over 10 (for faraway,>50 kms). Bues are a mixed bag of what BT has, plus some other (semi-private) operators. Speed is high, same as on the freeway (up to 100 kms/hr). LOcal buses tend to be very slow (even to my Dutch standard and certainly to BKK on an empty sundaymorning, with conductors and barely time to board a bus), and there is no direct suburban train there. In the centre an impressive all-underground busstation, under the shopping-mall.

[pong]

nice to see&read this, dear Mr. Pokal. Incidentally I was in the lucky country of OZ last month (numerous Thai restaurants of rather dubious ownership: notsoThai at all!), and this sunny city (with heavy downpours, also BKKstyle when I was, after a nearyear of draught) also boats a some 15 kms long busway, in fact along a major 'free'way' as USers call it. From the city to South-East, via the newly developed South bank area, along the highway, via some Universities, as far as garden City, after which many buses run further, over the freeway.
A mutlitude of buses serve it, up to >40 lines, most fanning out into the hinterland. Normal zonal fares are charged (even though BNE now has a Euro-style zonal easy faresystem, paying tickets stil lead to long stopdwelltimes, though most pax hold a season), from 2 AU$ till over 10 (for faraway,>50 kms). Bues are a mixed bag of what BT has, plus some other (semi-private) operators. Speed is high, same as on the freeway (up to 100 kms/hr). LOcal buses tend to be very slow (even to my Dutch standard and certainly to BKK on an empty sundaymorning, with conductors and barely time to board a bus), and there is no direct suburban train there. In the centre an impressive all-underground busstation, under the shopping-mall.

[jpatokal]

And just when Jakarta has a good thing going, they stop. Drove past the #2 busway to Pulo Gading today, which has all overhead bridges, station boxes and "Khusus Busway" signs in place... but nay, all work has been stopped and, as usual, nobody knows when if ever construction will resume. Sigh. :(

[jpatokal]

And just when Jakarta has a good thing going, they stop. Drove past the #2 busway to Pulo Gading today, which has all overhead bridges, station boxes and "Khusus Busway" signs in place... but nay, all work has been stopped and, as usual, nobody knows when if ever construction will resume. Sigh. :(

[Yappofloyd]

^ not unusual for Jakarta city politics...just take a look at what has been going on with the mono-rail construction, see here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=4485047#post4485047). However, a mid May article did suggest that the East West BRT routes would still be completed by the end of the year. Some suggested design changes by ITDP (check out there website which is quite good fro BRT info - see earlier posting on other BRT thread) have been adopted and perhaps that is why construction on the #2 busway has been halted?

As mentioned on the other BRT thread there is more info on the future Jakarta BRT network here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=177848&page=1&pp=20) with a map of the future network, although the Gov of Jakarta has indicated he wants to change this network plan.

Khun pong, don't forget that Adelaide in South Australia has had a dedicated BRT style Busway, called O-Bahn, for the last 20yrs from the edge of the CBD to the NE Suburbs. The buses enter and exit the concrete guide-way with side rails, travelling up to 100kms, before using the road system. the Busway acts as a feeder for about 20 bus lines into and out of the city.

[Yappofloyd]

^ not unusual for Jakarta city politics...just take a look at what has been going on with the mono-rail construction, see here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=4485047#post4485047). However, a mid May article did suggest that the East West BRT routes would still be completed by the end of the year. Some suggested design changes by ITDP (check out there website which is quite good fro BRT info - see earlier posting on other BRT thread) have been adopted and perhaps that is why construction on the #2 busway has been halted?

As mentioned on the other BRT thread there is more info on the future Jakarta BRT network here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=177848&page=1&pp=20) with a map of the future network, although the Gov of Jakarta has indicated he wants to change this network plan.

Khun pong, don't forget that Adelaide in South Australia has had a dedicated BRT style Busway, called O-Bahn, for the last 20yrs from the edge of the CBD to the NE Suburbs. The buses enter and exit the concrete guide-way with side rails, travelling up to 100kms, before using the road system. the Busway acts as a feeder for about 20 bus lines into and out of the city.

[ncr]

Khun pong, don't forget that Adelaide in South Australia has had a dedicated BRT style Busway, called O-Bahn, for the last 20yrs from the edge of the CBD to the NE Suburbs.O-Bahn??? What does that stand for?

[ncr]

Khun pong, don't forget that Adelaide in South Australia has had a dedicated BRT style Busway, called O-Bahn, for the last 20yrs from the edge of the CBD to the NE Suburbs.O-Bahn??? What does that stand for?

[Yappofloyd]

^ Khun ncr, well my friend I thought that you would actually know given that it is obviously a German designed system. Honestly, I don't know what the 'O' stands for. I checked the Adelaide Metro, O-Bahn website (http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/guides/obahn.html), but it doesn't seem to say.

There are some interesting facts on the website (bear in mind that Adelaide is a small city of only 1m people);

- At 12 kilometres long, the Adelaide O-Bahn is the longest and fastest guided bus service in the world, travelling at speeds up to 100km/h.
- More than 7 million passengers a year, including local, interstate and overseas visitors use the O-Bahn. The system is capable of moving 18,000 people an hour in each direction.
- The busway consists of 5,800 sleepers, 5,600 pylons drilled to a depth of 3 metres, 4,200 track pieces, 25 bridges, 8 pedestrian overpasses and a 60 metre-long tunnel.
- Compared with equivalent rail systems, the O-Bahn is almost 50 per cent cheaper to operate while providing a faster, more flexible service than many other transit systems.
- At the time of building, the entire O-Bahn project, (including the bus fleet) cost $98 million.

[Yappofloyd]

^ Khun ncr, well my friend I thought that you would actually know given that it is obviously a German designed system. Honestly, I don't know what the 'O' stands for. I checked the Adelaide Metro, O-Bahn website (http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/guides/obahn.html), but it doesn't seem to say.

There are some interesting facts on the website (bear in mind that Adelaide is a small city of only 1m people);

- At 12 kilometres long, the Adelaide O-Bahn is the longest and fastest guided bus service in the world, travelling at speeds up to 100km/h.
- More than 7 million passengers a year, including local, interstate and overseas visitors use the O-Bahn. The system is capable of moving 18,000 people an hour in each direction.
- The busway consists of 5,800 sleepers, 5,600 pylons drilled to a depth of 3 metres, 4,200 track pieces, 25 bridges, 8 pedestrian overpasses and a 60 metre-long tunnel.
- Compared with equivalent rail systems, the O-Bahn is almost 50 per cent cheaper to operate while providing a faster, more flexible service than many other transit systems.
- At the time of building, the entire O-Bahn project, (including the bus fleet) cost $98 million.

[jpatokal]

^ not unusual for Jakarta city politics...just take a look at what has been going on with the mono-rail construction, see here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=4485047#post4485047).
Thanks for the link -- they say monorail construction has just resumed, with pictures to prove it! :) And the BRT construction is supposed to restart in July (watch me not hold my breath).

[jpatokal]

^ not unusual for Jakarta city politics...just take a look at what has been going on with the mono-rail construction, see here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=4485047#post4485047).
Thanks for the link -- they say monorail construction has just resumed, with pictures to prove it! :) And the BRT construction is supposed to restart in July (watch me not hold my breath).

[ncr]

^ Khun ncr, well my friend I thought that you would actually know given that it is obviously a German designed system. Honestly, I don't know what the 'O' stands for. I checked the Adelaide Metro, O-Bahn website (http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/guides/obahn.html), but it doesn't seem to say.Well, the only thing I could think of is Omnibus.....? Sounds odd though (especially in that combination); old-fashioned, almost obsolete.

In this case, it would be the same word in English and German (original from Latin, of course) - compare this entry (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=omnibus&searchmode=none) about the etymology of "bus".

Be assured that it is a very unusual name and has no precedent in any German city. And even if the system is German designed, I still find it strange that the Aussies would call it like this!

[ncr]

^ Khun ncr, well my friend I thought that you would actually know given that it is obviously a German designed system. Honestly, I don't know what the 'O' stands for. I checked the Adelaide Metro, O-Bahn website (http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/guides/obahn.html), but it doesn't seem to say.Well, the only thing I could think of is Omnibus.....? Sounds odd though (especially in that combination); old-fashioned, almost obsolete.

In this case, it would be the same word in English and German (original from Latin, of course) - compare this entry (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=omnibus&searchmode=none) about the etymology of "bus".

Be assured that it is a very unusual name and has no precedent in any German city. And even if the system is German designed, I still find it strange that the Aussies would call it like this!

[ncr]

(bear in mind that Adelaide is a small city of only 1m people)Not quite sure whether you meant that seriously or not :D :D :D ...... but as a Bangkokian, I am also inclined to see it like that: one million people? Pah.....

In fact, after spending around 3 years in total in or near this wonderful city, I often think it's rather small and cozy as well. :p

Related thread/poll (http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?t=26) from the early days of the forum: how many inhabitants does the City of Angels really have?

[ncr]

(bear in mind that Adelaide is a small city of only 1m people)Not quite sure whether you meant that seriously or not :D :D :D ...... but as a Bangkokian, I am also inclined to see it like that: one million people? Pah.....

In fact, after spending around 3 years in total in or near this wonderful city, I often think it's rather small and cozy as well. :p

Related thread/poll (http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?t=26) from the early days of the forum: how many inhabitants does the City of Angels really have?

[jpatokal]

Thanks for the link -- they say monorail construction has just resumed, with pictures to prove it! :) And the BRT construction is supposed to restart in July (watch me not hold my breath).
So how do you delay an already-delayed project? Why, you could change the technology used to build it (http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailcity.asp?fileid=20050716.G01&irec=0). Evidently they will decide by the end of the month to convert to Siemens after all, while construction somehow proceeds simultaneously...? :confused:

[jpatokal]

Thanks for the link -- they say monorail construction has just resumed, with pictures to prove it! :) And the BRT construction is supposed to restart in July (watch me not hold my breath).
So how do you delay an already-delayed project? Why, you could change the technology used to build it (http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailcity.asp?fileid=20050716.G01&irec=0). Evidently they will decide by the end of the month to convert to Siemens after all, while construction somehow proceeds simultaneously...? :confused:

[Yappofloyd]

Not quite sure whether you meant that seriously or not :D :D :D ...... but as a Bangkokian, I am also inclined to see it like that: one million people? Pah.....

In fact, after spending around 3 years in total in or near this wonderful city, I often think it's rather small and cozy as well. :p

Khun ncr, I was actually being serious. It is one of the ironies of SE Asia that some mega cities like Bkk and Jakarta (both 10m plus in my reading) have not had adequate mass transit systems.

Also, I had a look at the etymology online which was interesting. Still doesn't help us as to where O-Bhan came from. At least the name hasn't caught on in any similar project elsewhere.

I have noticed that after some delays, that the two new lines of the Trans-Jakrata BRT in Jakarta have commenced construction again in July and they are hoping to finish on time at the end of the year.

[Yappofloyd]

Not quite sure whether you meant that seriously or not :D :D :D ...... but as a Bangkokian, I am also inclined to see it like that: one million people? Pah.....

In fact, after spending around 3 years in total in or near this wonderful city, I often think it's rather small and cozy as well. :p

Khun ncr, I was actually being serious. It is one of the ironies of SE Asia that some mega cities like Bkk and Jakarta (both 10m plus in my reading) have not had adequate mass transit systems.

Also, I had a look at the etymology online which was interesting. Still doesn't help us as to where O-Bhan came from. At least the name hasn't caught on in any similar project elsewhere.

I have noticed that after some delays, that the two new lines of the Trans-Jakrata BRT in Jakarta have commenced construction again in July and they are hoping to finish on time at the end of the year.

[Yappofloyd]

The BRT in Jakarta has affected patronage on other bus routes in the same N/S corridor which is not surprising given the better service.

Bus routes changed to adjust to busway City News - August 23, 2005
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The Jakarta Transportation Agency has decided to change 11 regular and air-conditioned bus routes in order to harmonize them with the Blok M-Kota busway corridor. Agency head Rustam Effendy Sidabutar told reporters at City Hall on Monday that transportation companies had also requested the route changes due to a major drop in the number of passengers following the launch of the city's first busway corridor in January 2004.

"The changes were made as the bus operators whose routes run parallel to the busway have complained of a sharp decline in passengers due to the operation of the busway," Rustam said. The changes will take effect on Wednesday morning. No figures are available on how severely regular bus services have been hit since the opening of the busway. However, most passengers traveling between Blok M and Kota now use the busway. The number of passengers using the busway has risen to an average of 45,000 people daily from only 28,000 during in mid-January last year.

Rustam said that besides changing the routes of regular and air-conditioned buses, his agency was also shortening a number of bus routes in response to requests made by bus operators. "Some bus operators have asked for shorter routes as they are experiencing difficulties with the longer routes due to worsening traffic congestion in the capital," he said. He said it now took three hours for a bus to traverse the Bekasi to Kalideres route, three times longer than five years ago. With the introduction of the shorter routes, he said, the agency would no longer tolerate bus crews stopping in mid-route and turning around to increase their passenger load.

It has long been common for bus crews to dump passengers before reaching the end of the route in order to avoid heavily congested areas or to increase their passenger loads. This is because most bus crews are paid a percentage of their daily takings. "We will also ensure that air-conditioned buses stop only at designated bus shelters to shorten the intervals between buses so that passengers don't have to wait too long," Rustam added.

[Yappofloyd]

The BRT in Jakarta has affected patronage on other bus routes in the same N/S corridor which is not surprising given the better service.

Bus routes changed to adjust to busway City News - August 23, 2005
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The Jakarta Transportation Agency has decided to change 11 regular and air-conditioned bus routes in order to harmonize them with the Blok M-Kota busway corridor. Agency head Rustam Effendy Sidabutar told reporters at City Hall on Monday that transportation companies had also requested the route changes due to a major drop in the number of passengers following the launch of the city's first busway corridor in January 2004.

"The changes were made as the bus operators whose routes run parallel to the busway have complained of a sharp decline in passengers due to the operation of the busway," Rustam said. The changes will take effect on Wednesday morning. No figures are available on how severely regular bus services have been hit since the opening of the busway. However, most passengers traveling between Blok M and Kota now use the busway. The number of passengers using the busway has risen to an average of 45,000 people daily from only 28,000 during in mid-January last year.

Rustam said that besides changing the routes of regular and air-conditioned buses, his agency was also shortening a number of bus routes in response to requests made by bus operators. "Some bus operators have asked for shorter routes as they are experiencing difficulties with the longer routes due to worsening traffic congestion in the capital," he said. He said it now took three hours for a bus to traverse the Bekasi to Kalideres route, three times longer than five years ago. With the introduction of the shorter routes, he said, the agency would no longer tolerate bus crews stopping in mid-route and turning around to increase their passenger load.

It has long been common for bus crews to dump passengers before reaching the end of the route in order to avoid heavily congested areas or to increase their passenger loads. This is because most bus crews are paid a percentage of their daily takings. "We will also ensure that air-conditioned buses stop only at designated bus shelters to shorten the intervals between buses so that passengers don't have to wait too long," Rustam added.

[jpatokal]

Good! :) The Jakarta BRT project is back online, and they're actually building corridors II (Pulogadung-Harmoni) and III (Harmoni-Kalideres) again. Or, to be strictly accurate, this is what the newspaper says and I today confirmed with my own eyes that BRT III is actually being built, and fairly rapidly too.

Bad! :( Despite the haze (worse than ever), from my 29th floor window I can look down on Jl. Rasuna Said's traffic jams, where -- despite Jakarta Post's assertions to the contrary (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=5318940&postcount=364) the divider lane continues to have absolutely no signs of monorail construction.

[jpatokal]

Good! :) The Jakarta BRT project is back online, and they're actually building corridors II (Pulogadung-Harmoni) and III (Harmoni-Kalideres) again. Or, to be strictly accurate, this is what the newspaper says and I today confirmed with my own eyes that BRT III is actually being built, and fairly rapidly too.

Bad! :( Despite the haze (worse than ever), from my 29th floor window I can look down on Jl. Rasuna Said's traffic jams, where -- despite Jakarta Post's assertions to the contrary (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=5318940&postcount=364) the divider lane continues to have absolutely no signs of monorail construction.

[jpatokal]

Good! :) The Jakarta BRT project is back online, and they're actually building corridors II (Pulogadung-Harmoni) and III (Harmoni-Kalideres) again. Or, to be strictly accurate, this is what the newspaper says and I today confirmed with my own eyes that BRT III is actually being built, and fairly rapidly too.
Live from Daan Mogot: BRT 3 construction continues, with the stations and their overhead bridges already up and the laying of the concrete track well under way. Latest estimates are that it'll be ready in Jan/Feb 2006, and for once this actually seems realistic.

[jpatokal]

Good! :) The Jakarta BRT project is back online, and they're actually building corridors II (Pulogadung-Harmoni) and III (Harmoni-Kalideres) again. Or, to be strictly accurate, this is what the newspaper says and I today confirmed with my own eyes that BRT III is actually being built, and fairly rapidly too.
Live from Daan Mogot: BRT 3 construction continues, with the stations and their overhead bridges already up and the laying of the concrete track well under way. Latest estimates are that it'll be ready in Jan/Feb 2006, and for once this actually seems realistic.

[Yappofloyd]

Jpatokal,

Line 2 and line 3 were to be operation by Jan 15, 2006 with construction finshed by 15 Dec 05 for one month testing. However, I understand that construction is line 2: 80% done and Line 3: 70% done (from Jakarta Post the other day) so it does look more like a Feb start. This is not too bad considering the brief suspension of construction in the middle of the year.

Will be interesting to see if the Jakarta administration will start construction on 4 new lines as planned for next year. Bangkok will probably still be dithering around trying to work out BRT design issues by then!

[Yappofloyd]

Jpatokal,

Line 2 and line 3 were to be operation by Jan 15, 2006 with construction finshed by 15 Dec 05 for one month testing. However, I understand that construction is line 2: 80% done and Line 3: 70% done (from Jakarta Post the other day) so it does look more like a Feb start. This is not too bad considering the brief suspension of construction in the middle of the year.

Will be interesting to see if the Jakarta administration will start construction on 4 new lines as planned for next year. Bangkok will probably still be dithering around trying to work out BRT design issues by then!

[Yappofloyd]

Some updates from Jakarta. The first test run on the two new lines was held on 20/12.

New busway corridors to open before fully finished Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta (09/12/05)

The city administration is planning to launch busway corridors II and III on Jan. 15 despite the fact that work along the routes is still under way and only a few buses are available to ply them. Corridor I stretches from Pulogadung in East Jakarta to Harmoni in Central Jakarta, while corridor II is from Harmoni to Kalideres in West Jakarta.

Jakarta Transportation Agency head Nurachman said on Thursday that the soft opening would be on Jan. 15 with only 23 buses plying the route from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Busway operator PT TransBatavia plans to operate 71 buses along the two routes. TransBatavia is owned by several city bus operators.
He said that fares for the new corridors would be Rp 2,000 (20 U.S. cents) from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. and Rp 3,500 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Corridor I from Blok M in South Jakarta to Kota in West Jakarta will also apply the same fare system.

Nurachman said tryout bus runs would be held from Dec. 15, 2005 to Jan. 14, 2006, using two empty buses that would not pick up any passengers. "Full operation of the two corridors will begin in April with 71 buses," he announced on Thursday. Nurachman acknowledged that only eight of the 23 buses for the soft opening were new, while the remaining 15 buses would come from those currently plying corridor I. This means that only eight buses will use compressed natural gas (CNG), while the other buses use diesel fuel.

Previously, Governor Sutiyoso and other relevant officials in the administration repeatedly said that all buses in corridors II and III would use CNG. Bylaw No.2/2005 on air pollution control requires all public transportation vehicles in the capital to use CNG after February next year, but the city lacks facilities for utilizing CNG. Currently, the city administration is constructing two CNG stations -- one on Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan in East Jakarta and the other on Jl. Daan Mogot in West Jakarta -- as filling stations for buses operating along corridors II and III.

That busway corridors II and III are not 100 percent ready to open for business can be seen from the amount of unfinished infrastructure, including shelters at the Kalideres bus terminal, a overpass on Jl. Hasyim Azhari and the interchange terminal in Harmoni. As the overpass and interchange terminal are not ready, busway buses will for the time being travel along Jl. Suryopranoto, Tomang, and Jl. S. Parman, instead of Jl. Hasyim Ashari as initially planned. The trial buses will not enter the Kalideres bus terminal until a busway shelter has been built there.

Nurachman said that as the city administration was unable to supply 71 buses for the two corridors, other buses would be allowed to continue operating along the routes for now. The city allocated about Rp 500 billion for the construction of the two corridors and has proposed a Rp 800 billion budget to develop four more busway corridors in 2006.

[Yappofloyd]

Some updates from Jakarta. The first test run on the two new lines was held on 20/12.

New busway corridors to open before fully finished Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta (09/12/05)

The city administration is planning to launch busway corridors II and III on Jan. 15 despite the fact that work along the routes is still under way and only a few buses are available to ply them. Corridor I stretches from Pulogadung in East Jakarta to Harmoni in Central Jakarta, while corridor II is from Harmoni to Kalideres in West Jakarta.

Jakarta Transportation Agency head Nurachman said on Thursday that the soft opening would be on Jan. 15 with only 23 buses plying the route from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Busway operator PT TransBatavia plans to operate 71 buses along the two routes. TransBatavia is owned by several city bus operators.
He said that fares for the new corridors would be Rp 2,000 (20 U.S. cents) from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. and Rp 3,500 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Corridor I from Blok M in South Jakarta to Kota in West Jakarta will also apply the same fare system.

Nurachman said tryout bus runs would be held from Dec. 15, 2005 to Jan. 14, 2006, using two empty buses that would not pick up any passengers. "Full operation of the two corridors will begin in April with 71 buses," he announced on Thursday. Nurachman acknowledged that only eight of the 23 buses for the soft opening were new, while the remaining 15 buses would come from those currently plying corridor I. This means that only eight buses will use compressed natural gas (CNG), while the other buses use diesel fuel.

Previously, Governor Sutiyoso and other relevant officials in the administration repeatedly said that all buses in corridors II and III would use CNG. Bylaw No.2/2005 on air pollution control requires all public transportation vehicles in the capital to use CNG after February next year, but the city lacks facilities for utilizing CNG. Currently, the city administration is constructing two CNG stations -- one on Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan in East Jakarta and the other on Jl. Daan Mogot in West Jakarta -- as filling stations for buses operating along corridors II and III.

That busway corridors II and III are not 100 percent ready to open for business can be seen from the amount of unfinished infrastructure, including shelters at the Kalideres bus terminal, a overpass on Jl. Hasyim Azhari and the interchange terminal in Harmoni. As the overpass and interchange terminal are not ready, busway buses will for the time being travel along Jl. Suryopranoto, Tomang, and Jl. S. Parman, instead of Jl. Hasyim Ashari as initially planned. The trial buses will not enter the Kalideres bus terminal until a busway shelter has been built there.

Nurachman said that as the city administration was unable to supply 71 buses for the two corridors, other buses would be allowed to continue operating along the routes for now. The city allocated about Rp 500 billion for the construction of the two corridors and has proposed a Rp 800 billion budget to develop four more busway corridors in 2006.

[Yappofloyd]

So even though the new lines II & II will not be fully operational until April due to delayed supply of CNG buses they will commence partial operation in mid Jan as planned. There was also some delays in construction in the middle of the year.
However, rather than wander aimslessly in confusion, as is the tendency in Bangkok, the Gov. and Jakarta City Council has gone ahead and allocated funds to commence construction of 4 new lines in 2006. I would not be surprised if these 4 lines are finished in 2007 before Bangkok has its first one!

BMA could learn a few lessons from Jakarta which has its own similar problems with endemic corruption, poor major project planning and public transport having played the poor brother to the road and car for so long.

2005: Tough year for motorists and commuters alike
City News - December 26, 2005 Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Throughout 2005, the passage of motorists and commuters on many of Jakarta's streets has often been disrupted by transportation projects that only worsen traffic congestion. Those traveling from Pulogadung bus terminal in East Jakarta to Kalideres in West Jakarta, for example, are obviously frustrated by the construction of busway corridor II from Pulogadung to Harmoni in Central Jakarta and corridor III from Harmoni to Kalideres.

Travelers from Lebak Bulus or Pondok Indah in South Jakarta to Senayan or Palmerah in Central Jakarta have to deal with traffic congestion created by the construction of the Kebayoran Lama underpass. Even the monorail project has been a headache for commuters in the capital. PT Jakarta Monorail, which was awarded the project, has started construction on Jl. Casablanca and Jl. Rasuna Said in South Jakarta and Jl. Asia Afrika in Central Jakarta. Very often, construction work worsens traffic jam in the areas.

All of this construction is aimed at improving the flow of traffic and creating a comfortable and convenient transportation system in the capital. If past experience serves as a guide, one can say that the such projects may not always resolve the city's notorious traffic jams. A case in point is the Pondok Indah underpass. The project was undertaken to ease traffic bottlenecks at a busy intersection in Pondok Indah, but congestion remains even though the underpass is already in use.

Head of Jakarta Transportation Agency Nurachman admitted that there was no significant improvement in the transportation sector this year as many of projects were long-term projects. "We should be patient because it takes time to resolve transportation problems. We hope that things will be better next year as several projects are expected to be completed, including busway corridors II and III," said Nurachman recently.

Transportation experts have long advised the city to develop a mass rapid transit system that includes a subway, railways, monorails and a busway in order to resolve chronic traffic congestion in the capital. Transportation experts argue that a mass rapid transit system not only provides better service to urban travelers but is also more environmentally friendly. The presence of comfortable, reliable, affordable and safe MRTs, they argue, is expected to encourage private car users, who are dominating Jakarta's streets, to shift to public transportation.

Keeping private cars off the streets would ease traffic jams and reduce air pollution in the capital, which is the World's third most polluted city after Mexico City and Bangkok. According to environmentalists, 70 percent of air pollution in the capital is due to vehicular emissions. The number of private vehicles running in the capital has reached around four million, while the number of public transportation vehicles is less than 100,000.

The city administration has actually drawn up several public transportation projects aimed at resolving traffic congestion in the capital. These include busway or bus rapid transit (BRT), subway, commuter train and monorail. It seems, however, the city administration is focusing its attention on the development of busway corridors. Currently, the city only operates 75 buses along the 12.9-kilometer corridor of the first BRT from Blok M to Kota.

The buses are considered to have met the minimal standards of public transportation, that is they are secure, safe, reliable, affordable and comfortable for passengers. Governor Sutiyoso, who seems to be bent on being crowned as Jakarta's father of transportation, has said that the city would go ahead with its public transportation projects, particularly its busway program. He asserted that his busway project was a success in terms of providing commuters with better public transportation. "We are on the right tract. I believe that our busway project is the solution to the transportation problems, But we must be patient," said the governor recently.

Sutiyoso's seriousness in the development of the busway project was seen in the increase in the budget allocations for the project. The city allocated some Rp 140 billion (US$14 million) in 2004 as compared to Rp 510 billion in 2005, and he has proposed Rp 876.70 billion for the four busway corridor projects in 2006. The four will be from Pulogadung to Hotel Indonesia in Central Jakarta, from Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta to Ancol in North Jakarta, from Ragunan in South Jakarta to Jl. Imam Bonjol in Central Jakarta and from Kampung Rambutan in East Jakarta to Kampung Melayu.

Data from busway management BP TransJakarta showed that when busway corridor I was launched in early 2004, it only took some 20,000 passengers each day. Now, there are over 70,000 travelers using the busway every day.

[Yappofloyd]

So even though the new lines II & II will not be fully operational until April due to delayed supply of CNG buses they will commence partial operation in mid Jan as planned. There was also some delays in construction in the middle of the year.
However, rather than wander aimslessly in confusion, as is the tendency in Bangkok, the Gov. and Jakarta City Council has gone ahead and allocated funds to commence construction of 4 new lines in 2006. I would not be surprised if these 4 lines are finished in 2007 before Bangkok has its first one!

BMA could learn a few lessons from Jakarta which has its own similar problems with endemic corruption, poor major project planning and public transport having played the poor brother to the road and car for so long.

2005: Tough year for motorists and commuters alike
City News - December 26, 2005 Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Throughout 2005, the passage of motorists and commuters on many of Jakarta's streets has often been disrupted by transportation projects that only worsen traffic congestion. Those traveling from Pulogadung bus terminal in East Jakarta to Kalideres in West Jakarta, for example, are obviously frustrated by the construction of busway corridor II from Pulogadung to Harmoni in Central Jakarta and corridor III from Harmoni to Kalideres.

Travelers from Lebak Bulus or Pondok Indah in South Jakarta to Senayan or Palmerah in Central Jakarta have to deal with traffic congestion created by the construction of the Kebayoran Lama underpass. Even the monorail project has been a headache for commuters in the capital. PT Jakarta Monorail, which was awarded the project, has started construction on Jl. Casablanca and Jl. Rasuna Said in South Jakarta and Jl. Asia Afrika in Central Jakarta. Very often, construction work worsens traffic jam in the areas.

All of this construction is aimed at improving the flow of traffic and creating a comfortable and convenient transportation system in the capital. If past experience serves as a guide, one can say that the such projects may not always resolve the city's notorious traffic jams. A case in point is the Pondok Indah underpass. The project was undertaken to ease traffic bottlenecks at a busy intersection in Pondok Indah, but congestion remains even though the underpass is already in use.

Head of Jakarta Transportation Agency Nurachman admitted that there was no significant improvement in the transportation sector this year as many of projects were long-term projects. "We should be patient because it takes time to resolve transportation problems. We hope that things will be better next year as several projects are expected to be completed, including busway corridors II and III," said Nurachman recently.

Transportation experts have long advised the city to develop a mass rapid transit system that includes a subway, railways, monorails and a busway in order to resolve chronic traffic congestion in the capital. Transportation experts argue that a mass rapid transit system not only provides better service to urban travelers but is also more environmentally friendly. The presence of comfortable, reliable, affordable and safe MRTs, they argue, is expected to encourage private car users, who are dominating Jakarta's streets, to shift to public transportation.

Keeping private cars off the streets would ease traffic jams and reduce air pollution in the capital, which is the World's third most polluted city after Mexico City and Bangkok. According to environmentalists, 70 percent of air pollution in the capital is due to vehicular emissions. The number of private vehicles running in the capital has reached around four million, while the number of public transportation vehicles is less than 100,000.

The city administration has actually drawn up several public transportation projects aimed at resolving traffic congestion in the capital. These include busway or bus rapid transit (BRT), subway, commuter train and monorail. It seems, however, the city administration is focusing its attention on the development of busway corridors. Currently, the city only operates 75 buses along the 12.9-kilometer corridor of the first BRT from Blok M to Kota.

The buses are considered to have met the minimal standards of public transportation, that is they are secure, safe, reliable, affordable and comfortable for passengers. Governor Sutiyoso, who seems to be bent on being crowned as Jakarta's father of transportation, has said that the city would go ahead with its public transportation projects, particularly its busway program. He asserted that his busway project was a success in terms of providing commuters with better public transportation. "We are on the right tract. I believe that our busway project is the solution to the transportation problems, But we must be patient," said the governor recently.

Sutiyoso's seriousness in the development of the busway project was seen in the increase in the budget allocations for the project. The city allocated some Rp 140 billion (US$14 million) in 2004 as compared to Rp 510 billion in 2005, and he has proposed Rp 876.70 billion for the four busway corridor projects in 2006. The four will be from Pulogadung to Hotel Indonesia in Central Jakarta, from Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta to Ancol in North Jakarta, from Ragunan in South Jakarta to Jl. Imam Bonjol in Central Jakarta and from Kampung Rambutan in East Jakarta to Kampung Melayu.

Data from busway management BP TransJakarta showed that when busway corridor I was launched in early 2004, it only took some 20,000 passengers each day. Now, there are over 70,000 travelers using the busway every day.

[numpty]

i was round Harmoni at the weekend and there were gangs of labourers chiselling at the road on one stretch while another stretch despite bein blocked off wh=as as clogged as others.

the pylons for the monorail are a joke. how high are they? they stop well short of the bridges, especially the one by the australian embassy in kuningan

[numpty]

i was round Harmoni at the weekend and there were gangs of labourers chiselling at the road on one stretch while another stretch despite bein blocked off wh=as as clogged as others.

the pylons for the monorail are a joke. how high are they? they stop well short of the bridges, especially the one by the australian embassy in kuningan

[jpatokal]

i was round Harmoni at the weekend and there were gangs of labourers chiselling at the road on one stretch while another stretch despite bein blocked off wh=as as clogged as others.
That's the construction for the BRT interchange stations between lines 1, 2 and 3. And yeah, traffic in that area has been horrible even by Jakarta standards ever since they started...

the pylons for the monorail are a joke. how high are they? they stop well short of the bridges, especially the one by the australian embassy in kuningan
My understanding is that, as they haven't even managed to decide on the final system yet, they're just building the pylon stubs now while they figure out what should be built on top of them. :eek:

[jpatokal]

i was round Harmoni at the weekend and there were gangs of labourers chiselling at the road on one stretch while another stretch despite bein blocked off wh=as as clogged as others.
That's the construction for the BRT interchange stations between lines 1, 2 and 3. And yeah, traffic in that area has been horrible even by Jakarta standards ever since they started...

the pylons for the monorail are a joke. how high are they? they stop well short of the bridges, especially the one by the australian embassy in kuningan
My understanding is that, as they haven't even managed to decide on the final system yet, they're just building the pylon stubs now while they figure out what should be built on top of them. :eek:

[The Enforcer!]

As I am in UK for another few weeks, has anything started in Bangkok?

The Enforcer!

[The Enforcer!]

As I am in UK for another few weeks, has anything started in Bangkok?

The Enforcer!

[Yappofloyd]

Good to see that they are 'psuhing' ahead with the opening date with a reduced service even if all construction is not finalised. Still seems that the whole 15 line network is planned but no annoucement of a construction starting date for the 4 new lines due to be finished by mid next year.

Meanwhile in Bangkok.......

Sutiyoso set on busway launch, ignores backseat drivers
City News - January 04, 2006 Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Despite the technical problems during the trial run last year, Governor Sutiyoso insists the new busway corridors will start limited operations on Jan. 15. But the buses driving the new routes may still be powered by diesel, rather than cleaner compressed natural gas (CNG). And the full quotient of buses won't come into service until April. "I don't see any significant obstacles (to the launch of the new busway project). We will go ahead with the plan to have our maiden ride on Jan. 15," Sutiyoso said at City Hall on Tuesday. Sutiyoso said he would closely monitor the final preparation of the new busway routes, which will stretch from Pulogadung in East Jakarta to Harmoni in Central Jakarta and from there to Kalideres in West Jakarta.

The Dec. 20 trial run was marred by an incident when a CNG-powered bus on which Sutiyoso, city officials and journalists were on board could not reach its desired speed because of apparent overloading. To save face, the trial committee transferred the passengers to one of the more powerful diesel buses used on the first busway corridor. The Jakarta administration plans to use the CNG buses made by South Korean company Daewoo on the new busway routes as part of project to provide environmentally friendly public transportation in the capital. The Daewoo buses were bought for Rp 1.6 billion each, almost double the cost of the old diesel buses, which were priced at between Rp 800 million and Rp 1 billion. Sutiyoso acknowledged that the new buses were still causing problems. "Only a few (CNG-fueled) buses will be ready for the launch," he said.

City Transportation Agency deputy head Udar Pristono said earlier that his agency would operate 23 buses on the first day, with nine buses serving the Pulogadung-Harmoni route and 14 buses for the Harmoni-Kalideres route.
Pristono said the new corridors would only be fully operational in April when 71 new buses were ready. Bus operator PT TransBatavia president director Azis Rismaya said 10 new buses would be ready before the launch. As for the routes, The Jakarta Post observed on Tuesday that several busway lanes were incomplete. At the Senen underpass in Central Jakarta and at Jl. Bekasi Raya in East Jakarta, the buses will have to merge with other traffic and are likely to get stuck in the heavy jams there. "Headway", the expected speed and duration needed by a bus to move from point A to point B, will only be achieved when these lanes are finished.

After the second and third busway corridors, the administration plans to expedite the development of 15 more busway routes in the city by constructing four new lanes this year. Corridors will link Pulogadung to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta; Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta to Ancol in North Jakarta; Warung Jati/Ragunan in South Jakarta to Jl. Imam Bonjol in Central Jakarta; and Kampung Rambutan in East Jakarta to Kampung Melayu. The city has earmarked Rp 876.7 billion in its 2006 budget for the routes' development.

[Yappofloyd]

Good to see that they are 'psuhing' ahead with the opening date with a reduced service even if all construction is not finalised. Still seems that the whole 15 line network is planned but no annoucement of a construction starting date for the 4 new lines due to be finished by mid next year.

Meanwhile in Bangkok.......

Sutiyoso set on busway launch, ignores backseat drivers
City News - January 04, 2006 Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Despite the technical problems during the trial run last year, Governor Sutiyoso insists the new busway corridors will start limited operations on Jan. 15. But the buses driving the new routes may still be powered by diesel, rather than cleaner compressed natural gas (CNG). And the full quotient of buses won't come into service until April. "I don't see any significant obstacles (to the launch of the new busway project). We will go ahead with the plan to have our maiden ride on Jan. 15," Sutiyoso said at City Hall on Tuesday. Sutiyoso said he would closely monitor the final preparation of the new busway routes, which will stretch from Pulogadung in East Jakarta to Harmoni in Central Jakarta and from there to Kalideres in West Jakarta.

The Dec. 20 trial run was marred by an incident when a CNG-powered bus on which Sutiyoso, city officials and journalists were on board could not reach its desired speed because of apparent overloading. To save face, the trial committee transferred the passengers to one of the more powerful diesel buses used on the first busway corridor. The Jakarta administration plans to use the CNG buses made by South Korean company Daewoo on the new busway routes as part of project to provide environmentally friendly public transportation in the capital. The Daewoo buses were bought for Rp 1.6 billion each, almost double the cost of the old diesel buses, which were priced at between Rp 800 million and Rp 1 billion. Sutiyoso acknowledged that the new buses were still causing problems. "Only a few (CNG-fueled) buses will be ready for the launch," he said.

City Transportation Agency deputy head Udar Pristono said earlier that his agency would operate 23 buses on the first day, with nine buses serving the Pulogadung-Harmoni route and 14 buses for the Harmoni-Kalideres route.
Pristono said the new corridors would only be fully operational in April when 71 new buses were ready. Bus operator PT TransBatavia president director Azis Rismaya said 10 new buses would be ready before the launch. As for the routes, The Jakarta Post observed on Tuesday that several busway lanes were incomplete. At the Senen underpass in Central Jakarta and at Jl. Bekasi Raya in East Jakarta, the buses will have to merge with other traffic and are likely to get stuck in the heavy jams there. "Headway", the expected speed and duration needed by a bus to move from point A to point B, will only be achieved when these lanes are finished.

After the second and third busway corridors, the administration plans to expedite the development of 15 more busway routes in the city by constructing four new lanes this year. Corridors will link Pulogadung to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta; Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta to Ancol in North Jakarta; Warung Jati/Ragunan in South Jakarta to Jl. Imam Bonjol in Central Jakarta; and Kampung Rambutan in East Jakarta to Kampung Melayu. The city has earmarked Rp 876.7 billion in its 2006 budget for the routes' development.

[Yappofloyd]

Whenever Bkk finally opens a BRT the most interesting challenge will be rerouting of existing bus routes to feed the BRT operated by private operators who will most likely be less than pleased to loose lucrative routes....

City redirects 29 bus routes to make way for busway
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Regular passengers of public buses traveling along busway corridors two and three should prepare for some route changes. The City Transportation Agency said on Friday that 29 routes involving 302 bus affected by the new busway corridors would be redirected once the corridors become fully operational in April. "We will introduce the rerouting when the busway corridors two and three are fully operational in April. Currently, we are preparing a study on it," City Transportation Agency head Nurrachman said Friday.

Busway corridor two, linking Pulogadung bus terminal in East Jakarta to Harmoni in Central Jakarta, and corridor three, spanning from Harmoni to Kalideres bus terminal in West Java, will be launched on Jan. 15, exactly one year after corridor one, stretching from Blok M bus terminal to Kota in West Java, was introduced. There are 302 buses driving 29 bus routes parallel with the two busway corridors. Nurrachman declined to detail the rerouting plan. However, he said that his agency would likely change certain public buses into feeder buses for the new busway routes.

Data from the agency shows that 17 routes with 179 buses would be affected between 50 percent and 100 percent in the Pulogadung-Harmoni busway corridor, while the Harmoni-Kalideres route would scrap 12 routes served by 123 buses. Bus operators affected by the busway routes include Mayasari Bhakti, state bus operator PPD, Steady Safe and PT Metromini.
Most of those bus operators are part of the consortium, PT TransBatavia, which is assigned to manage the new busway corridors. Nurrachman also said on Friday that the operations of the two busway corridors would worsen traffic jams at several points along the routes.

"Chronic traffic congestion is inevitable at several locations, like in front of Taman Anggrek Mall in West Jakarta and at the Senen underpass in Central Jakarta," Nurrachman said. He said the worst jams would occur in Tomang where three traffic flows exiting from the Kebon Jeruk highway, S. Parman overpass and Jl. S Parman would meet in front of the mall. Nurrachman acknowledged the agency had yet to find a solution for the congestion.

"Space constraints have forced us to allow busway buses to share lanes with other vehicles," he said, adding that no lane divider would be placed at these points. Aside from the roads in front of the Taman Anggrek Mall and the Senen underpass, busway buses would also share the same lanes with other vehicles in Roxy in West Jakarta and on Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan in North Jakarta.

Tickets for the new busway buses would cost Rp 3,500, the same price as for the first busway corridor from Blok M in South Jakarta to Kota in West Jakarta. On Jan. 15, the administration will start operating 23 buses, eight compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered and 15 diesel-fueled. "We are awaiting a shipment of 25 other CNG-fueled buses from South Korean company Daewoo, which is expected to arrive here in mid-January," he said. The new busway corridors will be fully operational in April with 71 environmentally friendly buses begin work.

[Yappofloyd]

Whenever Bkk finally opens a BRT the most interesting challenge will be rerouting of existing bus routes to feed the BRT operated by private operators who will most likely be less than pleased to loose lucrative routes....

City redirects 29 bus routes to make way for busway
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Regular passengers of public buses traveling along busway corridors two and three should prepare for some route changes. The City Transportation Agency said on Friday that 29 routes involving 302 bus affected by the new busway corridors would be redirected once the corridors become fully operational in April. "We will introduce the rerouting when the busway corridors two and three are fully operational in April. Currently, we are preparing a study on it," City Transportation Agency head Nurrachman said Friday.

Busway corridor two, linking Pulogadung bus terminal in East Jakarta to Harmoni in Central Jakarta, and corridor three, spanning from Harmoni to Kalideres bus terminal in West Java, will be launched on Jan. 15, exactly one year after corridor one, stretching from Blok M bus terminal to Kota in West Java, was introduced. There are 302 buses driving 29 bus routes parallel with the two busway corridors. Nurrachman declined to detail the rerouting plan. However, he said that his agency would likely change certain public buses into feeder buses for the new busway routes.

Data from the agency shows that 17 routes with 179 buses would be affected between 50 percent and 100 percent in the Pulogadung-Harmoni busway corridor, while the Harmoni-Kalideres route would scrap 12 routes served by 123 buses. Bus operators affected by the busway routes include Mayasari Bhakti, state bus operator PPD, Steady Safe and PT Metromini.
Most of those bus operators are part of the consortium, PT TransBatavia, which is assigned to manage the new busway corridors. Nurrachman also said on Friday that the operations of the two busway corridors would worsen traffic jams at several points along the routes.

"Chronic traffic congestion is inevitable at several locations, like in front of Taman Anggrek Mall in West Jakarta and at the Senen underpass in Central Jakarta," Nurrachman said. He said the worst jams would occur in Tomang where three traffic flows exiting from the Kebon Jeruk highway, S. Parman overpass and Jl. S Parman would meet in front of the mall. Nurrachman acknowledged the agency had yet to find a solution for the congestion.

"Space constraints have forced us to allow busway buses to share lanes with other vehicles," he said, adding that no lane divider would be placed at these points. Aside from the roads in front of the Taman Anggrek Mall and the Senen underpass, busway buses would also share the same lanes with other vehicles in Roxy in West Jakarta and on Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan in North Jakarta.

Tickets for the new busway buses would cost Rp 3,500, the same price as for the first busway corridor from Blok M in South Jakarta to Kota in West Jakarta. On Jan. 15, the administration will start operating 23 buses, eight compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered and 15 diesel-fueled. "We are awaiting a shipment of 25 other CNG-fueled buses from South Korean company Daewoo, which is expected to arrive here in mid-January," he said. The new busway corridors will be fully operational in April with 71 environmentally friendly buses begin work.

[jpatokal]

He said the worst jams would occur in Tomang where three traffic flows exiting from the Kebon Jeruk highway, S. Parman overpass and Jl. S Parman would meet in front of the mall. Nurrachman acknowledged the agency had yet to find a solution for the congestion. "Space constraints have forced us to allow busway buses to share lanes with other vehicles," he said, adding that no lane divider would be placed at these points.
And no prizes for guessing exactly where I always get stuck in traffic when in Jakarta :mad: :mad: :mad:

[jpatokal]

He said the worst jams would occur in Tomang where three traffic flows exiting from the Kebon Jeruk highway, S. Parman overpass and Jl. S Parman would meet in front of the mall. Nurrachman acknowledged the agency had yet to find a solution for the congestion. "Space constraints have forced us to allow busway buses to share lanes with other vehicles," he said, adding that no lane divider would be placed at these points.
And no prizes for guessing exactly where I always get stuck in traffic when in Jakarta :mad: :mad: :mad:

[jpatokal]

Jakarta busway corridors II and III are now open:

http://www.antara.co.id/en/seenws/?id=8259

But as expected, the rider demand far outstripped the supply of buses (currently 25 instead of the planned 71), with passengers packed into the BRT stations waiting for buses to come, and traffic jams along the routes were even more horrible than usual this morning. I drove along the corridor II route from Slipi to Daan Mogot and counted zero (0) BRT buses going in my direction and exactly one (1) in the other...

And, typically, the official website (http://trans.jakarta.go.id/) has not been updated and I have yet to see a single map of the new corridors. <sigh>

[jpatokal]

Jakarta busway corridors II and III are now open:

http://www.antara.co.id/en/seenws/?id=8259

But as expected, the rider demand far outstripped the supply of buses (currently 25 instead of the planned 71), with passengers packed into the BRT stations waiting for buses to come, and traffic jams along the routes were even more horrible than usual this morning. I drove along the corridor II route from Slipi to Daan Mogot and counted zero (0) BRT buses going in my direction and exactly one (1) in the other...

And, typically, the official website (http://trans.jakarta.go.id/) has not been updated and I have yet to see a single map of the new corridors. <sigh>

[ncr]

Khun pong, don't forget that Adelaide in South Australia has had a dedicated BRT style Busway, called O-Bahn, for the last 20yrs from the edge of the CBD to the NE Suburbs. The buses enter and exit the concrete guide-way with side rails, travelling up to 100kms, before using the road system. the Busway acts as a feeder for about 20 bus lines into and out of the city. >>> some pics that give a good idea of the system are here (http://www.railpage.org.au/tram/obahn.html) and here (http://www.answers.com/topic/adelaide-o-bahn) (sourced from Wikipedia).

And the only reference to the origin of the name on this (http://www.postcards.sa.com.au/features/obahn.html) site: O-Bahn is intended to mean 'omnibus way'.

[ncr]

Khun pong, don't forget that Adelaide in South Australia has had a dedicated BRT style Busway, called O-Bahn, for the last 20yrs from the edge of the CBD to the NE Suburbs. The buses enter and exit the concrete guide-way with side rails, travelling up to 100kms, before using the road system. the Busway acts as a feeder for about 20 bus lines into and out of the city. >>> some pics that give a good idea of the system are here (http://www.railpage.org.au/tram/obahn.html) and here (http://www.answers.com/topic/adelaide-o-bahn) (sourced from Wikipedia).

And the only reference to the origin of the name on this (http://www.postcards.sa.com.au/features/obahn.html) site: O-Bahn is intended to mean 'omnibus way'.

[jpatokal]

I stumbled on ITDP's Final Report on Jakarta's BRT network:

http://www.itdp.org/read/TransJakarta%20Final%20Report%205.pdf

Fascinating and incredibly detailed reading, not just on the usual technical stuff, but also traffic modelling, the intricacies of charging and operating feeder services, the backroom politics and political interference. The parallels to Bangkok's beleaguered BRT project are obvious...

One note though: they adopt quite a know-it-all tone, but their pre-launch report (http://www.itdp.org/read/transjakarta.pdf)'s predictions were way below the actual demand for the system. The new report, on the other hand, paints doomsday scenarios about demand considerably outstripping supply. I suppose running only 10% (25 instead of 208) buses on the new lines is one way of 'fixing' this... :mad:

[bahtandsold]

Great to hear about actual progress on Jakarta's BRT. The ballyhooed monorail would be a welcome addition but not holding my breath (unless walking down Jalan Sudirman, then it's neccesary of course;)

I visit frequently as my Father has a 2cnd residence in Indo. But getting from say, Taman Anngrek to any other ctr is challenging to say the least. Any future elevated LRT connecting T/A, Plaza Senayan, Plaza Indonesia and Pondok Indah would be a huge plus. Maybe next century...(?)

[bahtandsold]

Great to hear about actual progress on Jakarta's BRT. The ballyhooed monorail would be a welcome addition but not holding my breath (unless walking down Jalan Sudirman, then it's neccesary of course;)

I visit frequently as my Father has a 2cnd residence in Indo. But getting from say, Taman Anngrek to any other ctr is challenging to say the least. Any future elevated LRT connecting T/A, Plaza Senayan, Plaza Indonesia and Pondok Indah would be a huge plus. Maybe next century...(?)

[jpatokal]

Somewhat interesting if mostly fairly obvious comparison in the Jak Post (http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaileditorial.asp?fileid=20060121.E02&irec=3).

...

Several transportation experts, including Rahmah, have predicted a monorail system in Jakarta would not be as effective as the busway. He also questioned whether a monorail would reduce traffic congestion. Private car users perhaps will not be motivated to use the monorail if the distance of travel is too short (only 14.8 kilometers in the central business district of Kuningan, Sudirman and Senayan; and 12.2 kilometers between Kampung Melayu and Taman Anggrek). This makes sense, because many Jakarta travelers are commuters who have to travel long distances from suburban areas (Bogor, Bekasi, Tangerang and Depok) to central Jakarta (CBD areas).

On the other hand, data has showed the effectiveness of the busway in Jakarta. According to a Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) survey, 14 percent of busway passengers were previously private car users or passengers. This number is higher than in the city where the busway concept originated, Bogota, Colombia, where only 4.7 percent of busway users were previously private car users (The Jakarta Post, Oct. 5, 2005).

The maintenance costs for the monorail would also be high. If the monorail is introduced in Jakarta, it would cost about $20 million a year to maintain. Meanwhile, the investment and maintenance costs for the busway are much lower. The completion of the busway project through 2007, consisting of another 14 busway corridors, will only absorb an estimated cost of about $263 million (Pelangi Indonesia, Dec. 4, 2005), which is less than half the calculated cost for the first stage of the monorail project. Clearly, the busway is more efficient than the monorail for both the short and long terms. In addition, PT Jakarta Monorail has had difficulty finding investors for the monorail.

In terms of capacity, obviously the monorail has an advantage over the busway. Based on Japan's experience, a monorail can be operated as an "intermediate-capacity" transit system. This fits Bouladon's concept of the "transportation gap", which refers to situations where traffic levels are too high for efficient bus operations, but too low to justify full-scale conventional rail lines.

The monorail might be a better alternative for areas of Jakarta where high travel demand cannot be fulfilled by a busway route. The monorail, which has a larger capacity than the busway, should be operated on different routes from the busway, with higher travel demand. For instance, the projected first stage of the monorail would connect several central business districts (Kuningan-Sudirman-Senayan; Kampung Melayu-Taman Anggrek).

If diesel fuel continues to be used for buses, then pollution will remain a problem for the busway. The monorail is pollution-free due to the use of electric power as a source of energy. Therefore, the monorail is more environmentally friendly than the busway, unless the buses in the future run on hydrogen or solar cell systems, which at present is being experimented on by Japan.

...

A comparison between the monorail and busway in Jakarta suggests the busway is more suitable than the monorail. The advantages of the busway are that it is less expensive to develop and fares are low. However, the busway has a lower capacity than the monorail and makes traffic jams worse beyond the busway line. The monorail does not have these limitations, because the monorail has a higher capacity and has its own line above the road, separated from the traffic. The development of a monorail system would be more appropriate in the future, when the government and citizens are better able to pay the high costs.

Perhaps the monorail and busway projects should be planned and implemented as an integrated system. For example, both should serve different routes that have different characteristics of travel demand. Both systems are being introduced as part of Governor Sutiyoso's comprehensive and integrated master plan, which is the basis for the development of an integrated transportation system in Jakarta through 2010. The goal of the plan is to control the operation of private vehicles and motorcycles in the city.

[Yappofloyd]

Jakarta BRT now has 3 lines with the opening of the east and west lines just before mid-year. 4 new lines are currently being built and 3 of them should be finished by Jan.

However, although the BRT has been popular it seems that patronage numbers are not sufficient and city hall is worried about the current subsidy being paid. After the opening of the 4 new lines and a larger network this situation should improve.

New bus fare rests on 'study, subsidy' October 09, 2006 The Jakarta Post

The Jakarta administration has said it will implement a new busway fare and system for all seven corridors, but both depend on a feasibility study and the funds available. "We have an independent team, which is coordinated by the Jakarta Public Works Agency, to minimize the current busway issue so we would gain more profit," said provincial secretary Ritola Tasmaya last week.

The independent team had already started working on the problem, he added. Ritola said at City Hall that the independent team would make recommendations based on their findings while the city administration would implement their suggestions. "An increase in fares will also depend on the subsidy of the busway system. The limit of the subsidy depends on the provincial financial capability," he said.

The amount of the busway subsidy depends on the amount money set aside for subsidies in other city sectors. "There is a trade-off for this. No public decision ever benefits everybody," Ritola said. An increase in one project would mean a decrease in others, Ritola said, adding that the Jakarta administration had missed some profit targets because it lacked sufficient experience.

The City Council Commission D overseeing infrastructure earlier said it would cut the busway's operational budget because it had met only half the annual profit target. "The number of passengers we had targeted was lower because we did not incorporate in changing the zones. About 20 to 30 percent of total passengers changed zones during trips," Ritola said.

He added that the city administration would minimize the number of operating buses in less busy hours to make it more efficient. Currently, many buses keep operating despite a low number of passengers. "However, our estimate could be off-target. There could be a sudden increase of passengers when we decrease the buses," he said. As for auditing the busway system for financial leakages, Ritola said that it would audit the busway systematically and not all at once. "If we audit it altogether then none of the busway employees can serve passengers," he said.

[Yappofloyd]

Jakarta BRT now has 3 lines with the opening of the east and west lines just before mid-year. 4 new lines are currently being built and 3 of them should be finished by Jan.

However, although the BRT has been popular it seems that patronage numbers are not sufficient and city hall is worried about the current subsidy being paid. After the opening of the 4 new lines and a larger network this situation should improve.

New bus fare rests on 'study, subsidy' October 09, 2006 The Jakarta Post

The Jakarta administration has said it will implement a new busway fare and system for all seven corridors, but both depend on a feasibility study and the funds available. "We have an independent team, which is coordinated by the Jakarta Public Works Agency, to minimize the current busway issue so we would gain more profit," said provincial secretary Ritola Tasmaya last week.

The independent team had already started working on the problem, he added. Ritola said at City Hall that the independent team would make recommendations based on their findings while the city administration would implement their suggestions. "An increase in fares will also depend on the subsidy of the busway system. The limit of the subsidy depends on the provincial financial capability," he said.

The amount of the busway subsidy depends on the amount money set aside for subsidies in other city sectors. "There is a trade-off for this. No public decision ever benefits everybody," Ritola said. An increase in one project would mean a decrease in others, Ritola said, adding that the Jakarta administration had missed some profit targets because it lacked sufficient experience.

The City Council Commission D overseeing infrastructure earlier said it would cut the busway's operational budget because it had met only half the annual profit target. "The number of passengers we had targeted was lower because we did not incorporate in changing the zones. About 20 to 30 percent of total passengers changed zones during trips," Ritola said.

He added that the city administration would minimize the number of operating buses in less busy hours to make it more efficient. Currently, many buses keep operating despite a low number of passengers. "However, our estimate could be off-target. There could be a sudden increase of passengers when we decrease the buses," he said. As for auditing the busway system for financial leakages, Ritola said that it would audit the busway systematically and not all at once. "If we audit it altogether then none of the busway employees can serve passengers," he said.

[Yappofloyd]

The Governor of Jakarta tried out the three new lines which are in the final phases of construction (Line 4-6) on 22 Dec. As previously planned, all three lines are due to open on 15 Jan but with some finishing touches still to be completed. A fourth line (7) should open in the first half of 2007.

Meanwhile in Bangkok.......:o

[Yappofloyd]

The Governor of Jakarta tried out the three new lines which are in the final phases of construction (Line 4-6) on 22 Dec. As previously planned, all three lines are due to open on 15 Jan but with some finishing touches still to be completed. A fourth line (7) should open in the first half of 2007.

Meanwhile in Bangkok.......:o

[GWR]

Photo expired!
[Photo: The Jakarta Post - BUSWAY? NO WAY! A car drives past banners at the Pondok Indah street circle in South Jakarta opposing the city administration's plan to build two busway lanes in the exclusive neighborhood. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)]

Pondok Indah residents firm against busway plan

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Residents of South Jakarta's upscale Pondok Indah have come out in opposition to the city administration's plans to build the Lebak Bulus-Harmoni busway corridor through the main thoroughfare of Jl. Metro Pondok Indah.

"The construction of the busway lane through Jl. Metro Pondok Indah will destroy the green lanes and the trees," Louis M. Pakaila, a Pondok Indah resident of 12 years, said Monday.

He said residents and housing complex developer PT Metropolitan Kencana had planted some 960 trees over the last 30 years along the right and left pavements, as well as the median strip of the 3.4 kilometer long road.

According to Louis, residents also paid for the construction of infrastructure, including trees, sidewalks, streets and sewers.

"The construction of the busway passing through the main street will harm our environment, causing air pollution and traffic jams," he added.

In spite of the protests, the head of the traffic management division of the city's transportation agency M. Akbar said the median strip was designed to be demolished in the event of work to widen the road.

"(The median strip) was supposed to be temporary in nature," Akbar said.

The head of the city's transportation agency Nurachman tried to reassure anxious residents while at City Hall Monday. "We will not destroy the trees," he said.

"We can replant the trees anyway if we cut them down."

But one Pondok Indah resident, Mugirto, expressed his doubts at Nurachman's reassurances. "That's impossible. Where do they want to plant them? Up on a mountain? There'll be no space left after the construction."

Pondok Indah residents, including Luis, sent an official letter asking for support from the City Council on Monday.

The residents suggested two alternatives to the current plan: moving the two-line corridor to Jl. Ciputat Raya, or making the planned corridor terminate at the Blue Mosque at the Pondok Indah Mall cross road.

"Passengers can use feeder buses to transport them to and from the Lebak Bulus bus terminal," Louis said.

However, Akbar said feeder buses would not have a large enough capacity to transport passengers from Lebak Bulus.

According to an early 2007 map from busway operator Transjakarta, busway corridor VIII will pass through Jl. Metro Pondok Indah on its way from Harmoni to Lebak Bulus, and pass through Jl. Ciputat Raya while heading in the opposite direction.

However, Akbar said the Transjakarta map was incorrect and that both lanes of the corridor would pass through Jl. Metro Pondok Indah.

The city administration will start the construction of corridor VIII this month and is aiming to finish by early 2008.

Louis earlier said he had sent several open letters to Governor Sutiyoso and South Jakarta mayor Syahrul Effendi but had not received any replies.

Sutiyoso earlier said: "Those opposing the busway idea must be the rich. But I will prioritize the interests of the majority over the minority in Pondok Indah."

Nurachman was quoted by detik news portal as saying: "Pondok Indah is not a country of its own, but we will have a dialog and find the best solution for this issue".

"Those were a very provocative statements, which stigmatize residents of Pondok Indah, while all we're asking for is a healthy environment to live in," Louis said. (07)



http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20070904.@02&irec=1

[GWR]

Busway construction halted for holiday

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

When Jakartans return to work next week from the long Idul Fitri holiday, they will find the city's streets as chaotic as ever as the administration moves forward with the construction of new busway corridors.

Work on the three new corridors will restart this Thursday, after being stopped since Oct. 10 for the holiday.

The project was halted so the construction workers could celebrate the holiday. The workers have been on leave since Oct. 10, or two days before the official holiday began.

"They deserve holiday, too," the head of the city's public works agency, Wisnu Subagya Yusuf, said Monday.

He said like officials in the agency and in other city offices, construction workers had the right to travel to their hometowns and celebrate Idul Fitri.

"We will complete the construction by Dec. 15, right as planned," said Wisnu.

He said Jakartans needed to be more patient in dealing with the traffic jams, pointing out that when the construction of the three corridors was completed they could use the busway and avoid the congestion.

Wisnu said that to minimize the impact of the construction on traffic, work would only be done from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

That, however, is unlikely to help improve the traffic situation.

"The number of lanes is reduced because we use one for the busway. This, of course, causes traffic jams," he said.

Wisnu told The Jakarta Post the construction of each of the new busway corridors was currently 40 percent complete, and the corridors could start operating as soon as the project was finished on Dec. 15.

These three new corridors will join the seven already in operation. The administration eventually plans a total of 15 corridors.

The 19.6-kilometer eighth corridor will connect Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta and Harmoni in Central Jakarta. The ninth corridor, 45.6 kilometers long, will connect Pinang Ranti in East Jakarta and Pluit in North Jakarta. And the 37.8-km tenth corridor will run between Cililitan in East Jakarta and Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta.

Construction of the three corridors has been blamed for worsening traffic jams in the city over the past several weeks.

It is only for the Idul Fitri holiday that the city has seen emptier roads.

The holiday has also seen the number of busway passengers on most corridors declining, except those lines that stop at recreational sites such as Ancol in North Jakarta and Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta.

However, most buses running on all seven of the corridors are still crowded because of the limited number of buses available to cover the lines.

The busway is also running to midnight for part of this week to accommodate travelers returning from their hometowns.

The busway normally operates from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Operational manager Rene Nunumete told Antara newswire on Tuesday the longer hours would run from Oct. 18 through 21, when the number of people returning to the city from their hometowns would reach its peak.

"These people will need transportation to get home from the bus stations where they arrive at. So the management decided to extend the operating hours because there is not much public transportation operating that late."

He said the extended hours would affect four routes: Pulogadung in East Jakarta to Harmoni in Central Jakarta; Harmoni to Kalideres in West Jakarta; Kampung Rambutan in East Jakarta to Kampung Melayu also in East Jakarta; and Kampung Melayu to Senen in Central Jakarta. (11/12)
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20071017.B01&irec=1

[GWR]

None of this (this post & last) bodes well for this project:

Motorists now welcome in busway lanes

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In order to ease traffic jams caused by the construction of three new busway corridors, the city administration has announced that motorists will be permitted to use the three lanes starting from Monday.

Governor Fauzi Bowo said Saturday he authorized motorists to use the finished sections of the busway lanes under construction.

"Starting from Monday, all motorists, including public transportation drivers, are allowed to use those three busway corridors," he said while inspecting the work, as quoted by the city administration's official Web site Berita Jakarta.

The three corridors are: the Lebak Bulus-Harmoni corridor that passes through Kebon Jeruk in West Jakarta; the Pinang Ranti-Pluit corridor that passes along Jl. Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta and Grogol in West Jakarta; and the Cilitan-Tanjung Priok corridor, which connects East Jakarta and North Jakarta.

Motorists have been complaining about the construction of the three new corridors, which has caused heavy traffic around the areas.

"I expect this will reduce traffic bottlenecks in the areas," said Fauzi.

"The Jakarta Transportation Agency will assign its officers to oversee traffic in those places and direct vehicle users who use the corridors," he added.

During the inspection, Jakarta Public Works Agency head Wishnu Soebagyo Yusuf said he planned to complete construction by Dec. 15.

He said his office had finished 40 percent of the 27-kilometer Lebak Bulus-Harmoni corridor, 60 percent of the 37-kilometer-long Pinang Ranti-Pluit corridor and almost 80 percent of the 22-kilometer-long Cililitan-Tanjung Priok lane.

Transportation Agency Head Nurachman said he would build about 60 bus stops for the new corridors.

"Each corridor will have between 15 and 20 bus stops," he said.

The agency will ask public bus companies to join a consortium to provide buses for the new corridors, said Nurachman.

"But we'll only invite public bus companies that operate in the area where the corridor is built," he added. (08)
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20071022.@02&irec=1

[GWR]

See also two previous posts:

http://www.thejakartapost.com/caption/X1A-06-11.jpg
[Photo: Jakarta Post - A long line of cars crawl Monday through Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, where a controversial busway lane construction has just started. Similar busway corridor projects in the city have worsened traffic congestion across the capital. (JP/R. Berto Wedhatama)]

Traffic congestion gets worse in the city

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The construction of three new busway corridors, expected to solve Jakarta's chronic transportation woes, have caused serious congestion problems throughout the city.

The traffic in Jl. Metro Pondok Indah in South Jakarta, where the Lebak Bulus-Harmoni corridor is being built, prompted a motorist to file a complaint against Governor Fauzi Bowo and former governor Sutiyoso at the Jakarta Police on Monday.

The motorist, a journalist for Pos Kota daily, Edi Saputra Hasibuan, said the ongoing construction obstructed the public's freedom, as stipulated by article 493 of the Criminal Code.

"On behalf of the public, I decided to report the case to the police. The city administration should've provided alternative roads before building the busway corridor," said Edi.

First Adj. Insp. Krisnan Menon of the police's traffic center said Monday the worst traffic was on Jl. Metro Pondok Indah and that it had affected residential areas such as Cirendeu and Ciputat.

Other areas that suffered worse traffic in Jakarta were Slipi and Kebon Jeruk in West Jakarta, as well as Jl. Gatot Subroto near the People's Consultative Assembly building in South Jakarta.

In Slipi, a police officer on duty said the traffic had got worse since the construction of the Pluit-Pinang Ranti corridor as there was only one lane left in the street and it had to accommodate vehicles from Tomang, Slipi, Grogol and the Kebon Jeruk tollway in West Jakarta.

A public transportation passenger, Ade Kris, who goes through Jl. Panjang to get to his office in Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta, said it was now taking him two hours to get to work.

"It is crazy. Perhaps we should go to work at five o'clock in the morning to avoid the traffic," he said.

Azaz Tigor Nainggolan from the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) said the city administration should delay the development of the three new corridors and focus on improving the seven corridors that were already built.

"Perhaps people will take the TransJakarta buses if the bus' feeders are available," he said.

"The city administration can level the three under-construction corridors so that people can use them for the time being."

Separately, the National Police announced that they would instruct their officers to allow motorists to use the corridors being built if the traffic got worse.

"We'll issue a discretion (note) for this to serve the people," traffic director Brig. Gen. Yudi Sushariyanto said as quoted by detik.com news portal.

Governor Fauzi Bowo said it was not a "good solution".

"TransJakarta buses have been prioritized (to pass through busway corridors) since the beginning of the construction project. So (the police) should let them be the priority.

"The busway project is the city administration's business, not the police's own interest.'

A number of representatives of residents living in Pondok Indah plan to file a report with the Corruption Eradication Commission on Wednesday.

Antara quoted representative M. Sulaeman as saying, "We'll file a report Wednesday. There's something wrong within the construction process of the new busway corridors." (adt)
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20071106.@02&irec=1

[Yappofloyd]

It is crazy. Perhaps we should go to work at five o'clock in the morning to avoid the traffic," he said.
Or perhaps wise up and catch the BRt to work!

Separately, the National Police announced that they would instruct their officers to allow motorists to use the corridors being built if the traffic got worse. This seems ok a temporary measure but once the buses commence service, no cars.

The reality is that whilst building any mass transit network where none has really existed there will be periods of interuption. Basically, Jakarta is a quagmire of traffic jams worse than Bangkok. the fact that some motorists in some areas are suffering further congestion for a brief period of time only reinforces the value and necessity to build a mass transit corridor . (There would be same complaints if the road was being repaved and upgraded with lanes closures). Once the next three routes are open and all 11 lines have some time to become better intergated some of these whinging motorists should hope on the bus.

We will have the same complaints here once more BRT and BTS/MRT lines start getting built as there already was last year and earlier this year when the On nut ext started on Thannon Sukhumvit. Wait until the Mo Chit ext commences and there will be howls of complaints from motorists.

[GWR]

Jakarta opens busway lanes to motorists

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration and the police deployed more than 5,000 personnel Monday to secure the implementation of a temporary traffic policy allowing motorists to use certain sections of the busway corridors.

However, transportation experts criticized the policy, saying it is absurd and will backfire.

The policy would make the busway system no different to other public transportation modes in the city, Tulus Abadi of the Indonesian Consumers Foundation told a press conference Monday

Under the policy, which became effective as of Monday for one month, motorists are permitted to use the busway lanes only during specific times, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Adang Firman said.

"I have to make it clear that the busway corridors will be opened to the public only during specific times, when traffic congestion occurs," he told reporters.

Head of the city Transportation Agency, Nurachman, told The Jakarta Post motorists could use the busway corridors in 55 locations between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., and 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Some of the locations include Jl. Trunojoyo, Jl. MT Haryono, Jl. HR. Rasuna Said, Jl. TB Simatupang and Lebak Bulus area in South Jakarta; Jl. Pramuka and Jl. Matraman in East Jakarta; Jl. Pejambon, Jl. Gunung Sahari, Jl. Kramat Raya and Jl. Laturharhari in Central Jakarta; Jl. KH Hasyim Asy'ari and Jl. Daan Mogot in West Jakarta; and Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan in North Jakarta.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailgeneral.asp?fileid=20071112232355&irec=0

[GWR]

http://www.thejakartapost.com/caption/M2.jpg
[Photo: Jakarta Times - COLLISION COURSE: A Mercedes sedan drives past a banner which reads "You may drives your 'Mercy', but we need the 'Busway'" on Jl. Senopati, South Jakarta, on Saturday. Similar banners have appeared around South Jakarta in the past few weeks, apparently aimed at countering criticism of the busway construction work in several parts of the city. (JP/P.J. Leo)]

Busway users have their say

Adisti Sukma Sawitri and Ikram Putra, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

While motorists point their fingers at the busway as the major cause of traffic jams, passengers still find the administration-sponsored mode of transportation their long-awaited savior.

During a discussion on the busway service, a group of its regular passengers and supporters from mailing list suaratransjakarta@yahoogroups.com said the mounting public protests had undermined the buses' main role as the best mass transportation mode in the city.

David Tjahjana, a regular passenger of Pulo Gadung-Dukuh Atas corridor, said he still found the service the most reliable form of transportation from his house in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, to his office in Central Jakarta.

"The administration only focuses on network expansion without paying attention to the service. This has made everything worse," he said.

David, who leaves his car at home to use the busway, said people should allow room for improvement for the Transjakarta operator before jumping to the conclusion the busway system was not suitable for the city.

Another mailing list member, Lita, said although she is a regular passenger of Blok M-Kota corridor, she still had to use the regular bus to get to her office in Tomang, West Jakarta, since the designated busway lane that passed the area, Harmoni-Kalideres corridor, was always crowded.

"Please add more buses in the corridor and build more corridors so I could become a true busway passenger," she said.

Lita, who lives in Cinere, South Jakarta, said she takes a regular bus to Blok M terminal, as there are no busway feeder buses near her house.

Suaratransjakarta currently has 817 members.

The busway network expansion has stripped road lanes on major thoroughfares and caused more traffic jams. Meanwhile, busway operator Transjakarta seems to have neglected its service.

Passengers are required to wait almost half an hour in a crowded shelter just to get on an overcrowded bus.

In light of mounting protests, the administration has allowed regular motorists to use the busway's exclusive lanes in 55 locations during rush hours as of last week.

Poor monitoring and coordination between police officers and the Transportation Agency, however, has seen regular motorists use the lanes in other locations and outside of peak hours.

Transjakarta infrastructure manager, Taufik Adiwianto, said regular motorists using the exclusive busway lanes and congestion at several traffic intersections were the two main causes of long waiting times (headway) in the busway shelters.

"Regular motorists were using the exclusive lanes long before the policy came into effect ... this is what saw us struggle to maintain an ideal headway (of less than 5 minutes)," he said.


http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20071120.@03&irec=2

[GWR]

Jakarta told to build elevated busway lanes, official says

Irawaty Wardany and Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta needs to develop grade-separated lanes or overpasses for the busway to alleviate the city's horrific traffic jams, a senior transportation official said Monday.

"The busway needs special lanes (that don't disturb) existing lanes to be able to operate to the fullest," director of the Management and Urban Transportation System at the Transportation Ministry, Elly Sinaga, told reporters.

She said the development of busway lanes did not meet the "take and give it back" principle, and had made traffic worse.

"The busway lanes took existing lanes without replacing them," she said.

This has reduced the average speed of vehicles from 34.5 kilometer per hour in 2002 to 23 kph in 2007, she added.

"Therefore, the Transportation Ministry proposed to the House of Representatives on Nov. 12 the development of two lanes of busway overpasses in seven corridors, with a total length of 98 kilometers, so (the busway) will not reduce the capacity of the road," she said.

Elly said the project would require roughly Rp 3.7 trillion (US$396 million).

"We can get the money from fuel subsidies that have been wasted because of the slowing down of vehicles, reaching Rp 1.7 trillion a year," she said.

She said the busway was the only answer to mass public transportation needs, as it would be able to carry 30,000 passengers per hour per destination.

With 329 buses serving seven corridors, the busway is currently able to transport 3,500 passengers per hour per destination.

"Currently the busway is able to convert only 0.3 percent of private vehicle users," Elly said.

In March 2007 the number of private cars in Jakarta reached 1.5 million, capable of transporting 49.7 percent of the city's approximately 12 million commuters.

Elly said other solutions to the city transportation problems included integrating busway lanes with Jakarta's neighboring cities of Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi.

"Most commuters entering the city are from the Greater Jakarta area, so busway lanes should be integrated to these cities," she said.

"The Jakarta administration can also implement electronic road pricing for private vehicles and higher parking tariffs in the city center, as well as designating motorcycle-free areas and opening the toll road for busway use during certain hours."

Elly said that learning from Jakarta's experience the government was encouraging other large cities like Bandung in West Java, Surabaya in East Java and Medan in North Sumatra to adopt a busway system.

Andi Rahmah of the Indonesian Transportation Society considered the development of busway overpasses unnecessary.

"The new busway lanes are the result of the strong bargaining power of wealthy people, who are also users of private vehicles," she told The Jakarta Post.

She criticized the "take and give it back" principle, saying the government considered it from one side only.

"If the government took one lane of road for the busway, we can consider that as giving back rights to public transportation users, who are also taxpayers."
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20071120.A06&irec=5

[jpatokal]

Aided by a fortuitous alignment of office and hotel, I've been commuting with TransJakarta (Tije) for the past week, and I thought I'd write down a few thoughts.

Good news first: the system is so popular that it's already running close to or over capacity. On the original and still most popular Koridor I (Kota-Blok M), there's a theoretical headway of 1.5 minutes between buses, but during rush hour it's not uncommon to have to wait for 3-4 buses to pass before you can squeeze in, despite an average daily ridership of under 70,000.

At the busway stops, nearly everybody (including me) still uses single-ride tickets, which means queueing up to buy them from the single seller. The manned fare gate means that there are no loiterers in the stations, but the TVs don't work anymore and air-con is just a distant memory. Every bus has a dedicated door attendant, who does the highly necessary job of making sure people get off before anybody can rush in and also controls how many people can board at each stop. Surprisingly, the LCD/PA systems for announcing the next stops is still working, although neither reflects interchanges to other BRT lines.

Speedwise, the BRT zooms along on those sections where it has fully dedicated lanes and doesn't have to deal with intersections (eg. on Sudirman), but it's reduced to ordinary bus speeds on those sections with crossings (eg. Thamrin). When traffic is very heavy and neighboring roads get congested as well, intersections can turn into real jams as cars attempt to cross at the last minute and get stuck sideways across the road, or mercenary taxis borrow the BRT lanes. The fully dedicated lanes marked off by raised barriers, though, are surprisingly well-respected.

The infrastructure was also built in a hurry and, in only a few years, it's starting to show. The supposedly super-strong asphalt has visibly warped and buckled in many places due to the stress, and the concrete on the overhead footpaths is deteriorating alarmingly. Integration to neighboring buildings remains nonexistent: not a single shopping mall or hotel along Jakarta's central strip has seen it fit to build a skybridge to a busway station. There is also virtually no signage in the buses or shelters for changing lines, and it's virtually impossible to find even something as simple as a schematic map of the system!

At the end of the day, the biggest problem now is clearly capacity, and I just don't see a way to improve it much with the current setup. On Koridor I, the headway is already very short, and it's common for buses to bunch up due to traffic lights and intersection jams with as many as 4-5 buses sometimes showing up in a row. All Tije buses are single units with a capacity of just 85 pax, and with a single door loading and unloading can be time-consuming. Some interchange stations like Dukuh Atas have separate doors for unloading and loading, which is a good idea, but they're so close to each other that one bus covers both and there's thus no speed advantage.

Things Tije could do to improve things:

Encourage use of the prepaid trip cards
Start using articulated buses that pack in 180 or even 270 pax (like Bogota's TransMilenio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TransMilenio))
Extend all bus stops to use the one door in, one door out system, ideally so that they match the articulated bus's two doors
Build flyovers for the busiest intersections
Get the bloody Jakarta MRT built already, as MRT Line 1 is supposed to follow the BRT Koridor I alignment anyway

[Yappofloyd]

I had the chance to ride the new lines in the last few days since my first trip on the then only Line one, a few years ago. I'll add some observations to Khun japtokals excellent trip report, Crazy western