TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Metro Police Traffic Director Sr. Comr. Yusuf has announced that beginning Monday, November 25, people are barred from riding electronic scooters or e-scooters on highways and sidewalks.

“We have disseminated [the information], including trial run and others. We plan to put it [the policy] into effect starting Monday, November 25, throughout Jakarta areas,” said Yusuf at FX Sudirman, Central Jakarta, Friday, November 22.

Riders violating the rule, he underlined, would be ticketed and their scooters seized. “We will take the scooter. We will issue a ticket and process it based on the prevailing law. This will temporarily be valid for private or rented scooters,” Yusuf explained.

He further said the use of the personal transportation mode would be confined to certain areas, such as sports complexes, like Gelora Bung Karno, or tourism areas, such as Ancol. “What is clear is that [the operation] must first obtain a permit from the area management,” Yusuf added.

According to him, the rule will be effective pending the issuance of study results and regulations from the government. However, he could not detail when the study would be completed.

The issuance of the ban on the use of e-scooters on the city’s streets resulted from the recent fatal incident that claimed the lives of two GrabWheels riders at FX Sudirman, Sunday, November 10. The Jakarta administration and the Jakarta Metro Police have been reviewing the regulations ever since, including on the category of the vehicle.

M JULNIS FIRMANSYAH