TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta provincial administration proposed a budget for transportation subsidy at Rp6.94 trillion next year. The budget of public service obligation (PSO) increases when compared to this year’s subsidy allocation that amounted to Rp3.7 trillion.

City Transportation Agency head Syafrin Liputo said the hike is an attempt to encourage the public to use public transportation instead of private vehicles (transportation demand management). The subsidy will be distributed to improve public transportation services.

In 2020, Syafrin outlined, the number of fleets joined in the Jak Lingko program will amount to 10,047 units. Jak Lingko is an integrated system of public transportation under the management of PT Transportasi Jakarta or Transjakarta.

As of August 2019, a total of 3,369 vehicle units have joined the program. “So next year, the figure will grow by several times than this year’s,” said Syafrin last Wednesday.

He further reiterated that the procurement of big, medium, and small buses in the program is mandated on Gubernatorial Instruction No. 66/2019 on air quality control. The policy ordered the city transportation agency to expedite the bus revitalization.

The program is also expected to increase the daily number of Transjakarta passengers. “The determining variable of the hike in passenger capacity includes the number of buses,” Syafrin added.

The budget hike proposal has been listed in the draft of 2020 General Budget Policies and Provisional Budget Ceiling and Priorities (KUA-PPAS). The 3.7 trillion budget will be distributed to mass rapid transit or MRT Jakarta at Rp938.59 billion, light rail transit or LRT Jakarta at Rp665.07 billion, and Transjakarta Rp5.34 trillion.

GANGSAR PARIKESIT