Public Transportation Not Yet Become a Priority

Local governments are expected to provide budget commitments for public transportation and give priority to public transportation in metropolitan street spaces.

KOMPAS/AMBROSIUS HARTO

Suroboyo Bus crossing Jalan Raya Darmo, Surabaya, East Java, Thursday (4/11/2021). The Suroboyo Bus serves the Purabaya - Rajawali route which is the first route since April 7 2018.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Public transportation networks in Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta and Surabaya offer limited coverage. The administrations of the four metropolises on the island of Java have not prioritized public transportation as a public service for their residents. There has been no commitment to build suitable public transit networks, whether in terms of their budgets or readying roads to prioritize public transportation.

Analyzing the data on mass transit services in Semarang, Surabaya, Bandung and Yogyakarta, as well as the surrounding urban areas, show that many residents in the four cities are still not being served by public transportation. Of the four cities, the best public transportation coverage is found in Greater Bandung. Public transportation services cover as many as 3.8 million people, or 79.3 percent of the area’s population. This is followed by Yogyakarta with transportation coverage for 1 million people (74.4 percent), Greater Semarang with 1.7 million people or 62.1 percent, and Greater Surabaya 2.7 million people or 58.6 percent.