[JAKARTA] Transjakarta Busway - A lot of pictures

Yappo,

There are 2 maps available, the first one is the original plan taken from http://trans.jakarta.go.id . The second one is created by an Indonesian forumer peseq5.
I'm not sure though if the actual construction going on is following the original plan (I'm not joking).

1. taken from http://trans.jakarta.go.id



2. created by peseq5



Still from http://trans.jakarta.go.id, 4 lines are to be build in 2006 whose budget is already proposed to the parliament. It's said that these 4 lines will be operational by the end of 2006 which looks very much optimistic.

Line 4: Pulo Gadung - Bundaran Hotel Indonesia
See the 2nd map, this line connects B1 and A11. I'm pretty much sure that this line will pass Jl Pemuda, Jl Pramuka, passing in front of Saint Caroles Hospital, RSCM, Megaria, connection with Jabotabek line (Cikini Station), Jl Diponegoro, Jl Imam Bonjol and arriving in Bunderan HI for connection with Line 1.

When this line is realized it'll be easy to travel from the south to the east of Jakarta. Will see a lot of passengers.
However they may face difficulties to find an area to allow the buses to make U-Turn in Bunderan HI, there's no enough space there.

Line 5: Kampung Melayu - Ancol
Starts from BL1 go up north crossing Line 4 and Line 2. So we will see the integration with those 2 lines plus the possibility corresponding with Jabotabek railway somewhere on the north.

This line I predict will pass, Jatinegara Market, Connection with Jabotabek railway in Jatinegara station. Then go to Matraman raya, connection with Line 4 around Saint Caroles area, go up north to Pasar Senen, and Jl Mangga Besar then arriving in Ancol.

Line 6: Kampung Rambutan - Kampung Melayu
As said in their website, this will be the most difficult line to build since the road in Jl. Dewi Sartika is narrow.

Predicted iteneries, start from Kp Rambutan, Jl. Raya Bogor, Cililitan, Jl Dewi Sartika, Cawang, Polonia and Kp Melayu (connected with Monorail Station).

Line 7: Ragunan-Imam Bonjol
Very promising line since this will connect residential area in the south of jakarta with CBD of Kuningan. The roads that it passes are quite wide so the success probability of having this line realized is quite high.

My guess is this line will start from Ragunan Zoo, Pejaten, Warung Buncit, Mampang Prapatan, Jl. Rasuna Said, connection with Monorail Line Blue in Mega Kuningan, and ends in Jl Imam Bonjol (connected with Line 4).

The only difficulty will be to find an area for the buses changing direction back to Ragunan in Jl Imam Bonjol since the road is quite narrow and this is a diplomatic area --it's not supposed to be a busy area.


As seen above, there are a lot of connection between the lines and with Jabotabek and future monorail.

For illustration, the 4 new lines would appear the the right bottom part of peseq5's map.


Hopefully this is useful.
Cheers,
tata

Note for peseq5: if you allow me I could add those 4 new lines into your map. Let me know.

Sutiyoso set on busway launch, ignores backseat drivers

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.

Kamis, 05 Januari 2006

Titik Transfer 3 Koridor Bus Transjakarta Dipecah

Jakarta, Kompas - Masyarakat kini mulai mengkhawatirkan rencana pengoperasian bus transjakarta koridor II dan III pada 15 Januari akan menimbulkan kemacetan total, terutama di kawasan Harmoni yang merupakan titik temu koridor I, II, dan III. Untuk mengantisipasi itu, Dinas Perhubungan DKI Jakarta memecah titik transfer antarjurusan di tiga lokasi.

”Halte Central Busway (HCB) di Harmoni tetap akan dioperasikan pada Mei 2006. Upaya mengantisipasi kemacetan di Harmoni ditempuh dengan memecah titik transfer penumpang di beberapa halte,” kata Wakil Kepala Dinas Perhubungan DKI Jakarta Pristono, Rabu (4/1).

Dia mengatakan, titik transfer penumpang bus transjakarta antara koridor I dan III berada di halte Sawah Besar. Selanjutnya, titik transfer penumpang bus transjakarta koridor I dan II ada di Halte Medan Merdeka Barat atau Monas.

Bus transjakarta koridor I melayani jalur Blok M-Kota, sedangkan koridor II melayani jalur Pulo Gadung-Harmoni, dan koridor III melayani jalur Kalideres-Harmoni. ”Titik transfer penumpang bus transjakarta antara koridor II dan III berada di halte Pecenongan. Setelah Mei 2006 nanti, titik-titik transfer penumpang setiap koridor ini dapat terpusat di HCB,” kata Pristono.

Saat ini pembangunan HCB menimbulkan kemacetan luar biasa, terutama dari arah Kota menuju Harmoni. Jalur khusus bus transjakarta yang disediakan belum dapat digunakan sehingga bus transjakarta melaju di jalan umum. Dampaknya, kemacetan makin parah.

Menurut Pristono, jalur khusus bus transjakarta di Harmoni kini sedang dibuat masing-masing dua lajur searah. (NAW)

Bus Kota di Koridor II dan III Segera Dialihkan
Jum'at, 06 Januari 2006 | 17:52 WIB

TEMPO Interaktif, Jakarta: Pengalihan trayek bus kota yang bersinggungan dengan jalur bus khusus (busway) koridor II Pulogadung - Harmoni dan koridor III Harmoni - Kalideres, dijadwalkan April depan. "Konsepnya sudah ada, tapi masih berupa pengkajian," kata Kepala Dinas Perhubungan DKI Jakarta Nurachman, Jumat (6/1).

Menurutnya, bus-bus yang trayeknya akan dialihkan kemungkinan diubah menjadi feeder (bus pengumpang. Saat ini sebanyak 29 trayek angkutan umum dengan 309 armada bersinggungan dengan jalur busway. Trayek itu terdiri dari 17 trayek dengan 179 armada milik
PPD, Steady Safe, Mayasari, dan Metro Mini. Berikutnya sebanyak 12 trayek dengan 123 armada PPD, Mayasari, dan Steady Safe.

Nurachman menambahkan, persiapan perasional busway koridor II dan III pada 15 Januari sudah matang. Jumlah armada sebanyak 23 unit. Pada koridor II 8 unit dengan bahan bakar gas dan 1 unit berbahan bakar solar. Pada koridor III sebanyak 14 unit bus masih memakai bahan bakar solar.

Harun Mahbub-Tempo

Picture and news belong to The Jakarta Post:



NEW BUSWAY ROUTE: An official van belonging to the City Transportation Agency escorts a compressed natural gas (CNG)- fueled bus, which is trying out the new busway lane in front of the Istiqlal Grand Mosque in Central Jakarta. The administration plans to launch the new busway route on Jan. 15. JP/R. Berto Wedhatama


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.

@yappo: I'm working on peseq5's map to include line 4-7


Pipe to distribute gas (CNG) to be build along line 2 and 3 underground.
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Pipa Gas di Jalur Busway Disiapkan
Senin, 09 Januari 2006 | 15:38 WIB

TEMPO Interaktif, Jakarta: Gubernur DKI Jakarta Sutiyoso mengemukakan bahwa teknis pengisian bahan bakar untuk armada bus khusus (busway) yang berbahan bakar gas sedang dipersiapkan.

Rencananya, armada berbahan bakar gas akan dipergunakan pada semua koridor busway. Sekarang ini, kata Sutiyoso, baru 8 unit armada bus yang akan
diluncurkan di koridor II Pulogadung - Harmoni pada 15 Januari nanti.

Pengisian bahan bakar gas untuk sementara dilakukan di pangkalan. "Kontainer mendatangi dan melayani pasokan dalam jumlah besar," kata Gubernur Sutiyoso di Balai Kota, Senin (9/1).

Nantinya, dia melanjutkan, pasokan bahan bakar gas itu dibangun pada saluran pipa gas bawah tanah. Lokasinya persisnya di beberapa titik di koridor II dan III.
Untuk koridor II, pipa gas dibangun sepanjang 2,5
kilometer dan di koridor III sepanjang 3,5 kilometer.

Sutiyoso mengaku sudah menghubungi Menteri Energi Sumber Daya dan Mineral. "Perusahaan Gas Negara yang akan
membangun," ujarnya. Dia menambahkan, nantinya bukan hanya bus jalur khusus saja yang memanfaatkan sambungan gas ini. "Kendaraan lain juga bisa memanfaatkan," katanya.

@glutonny: this year they'll build 4 more lines from the total of 15 lines to be build until 2010 if i'm not mistaken.

Meanwhile a news from SUARA PEMBARUAN DAILY

Note: I don't quite understand this news even though it's written in my own language (or I read it too fast), the 126 buses are outside or inside busway line?

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126 Bus Siap Layani Busway Koridor II dan III

JAKARTA - Sebanyak 126 bus kota telah disiapkan untuk beroperasi di bus jalur khusus (busway) koridor II (Pulo Gadung-Harmoni) dan Koridor III (Kalideres-Harmoni) pada 15 Januari mendatang.

Armada tersebut, berasal dari empat operator bus yang tergabung dalam PT TransBatavia, yakni PT Mayasari Bakti 63 unit, PT Steady Save 25 unit, PT Metromini 23 unit, dan Perum PPD (Perusahaan Pengangkutan Djakarta) 15 unit.

"Bus yang kami sediakan belum dapat mengimbangi jumlah bus yang hilang akibat trayeknya bersinggungan dengan busway koridor II dan III," kata Nur Usman dari Dewan Pimpinan Unit (DPU) Bus Kota Organda DKI, dalam jumpa pers di Jakarta, Rabu (11/1).

Saat ini, bus kota yang telah diakomodir untuk beroperasi di busway koridor II dan III hanya yang trayeknya bersinggungan sebesar 70 persen sampai 100 persen. Bus tersebut, dimiliki oleh empat operator yang sudah tergabung dalam konsorsium PT TransBatavia.

Sementara untuk trayek bus yang persinggungannya di bawah 70 persen dengan busway koridor II dan III tetap akan beroperasi seperti biasa, namun akan mengalami perubahan trayek secara bertahap.

Menurut Sekretaris DPD Organda DKI, TR Panjaitan, Dinas Perhubungan DKI Jakarta telah menjanjikan akan mengakomodir seluruh angkutan umum yang trayeknya bersinggungan dengan koridor II dan III busway, termasuk untuk mikrolet dan KWK.

"Pelaksanaannya akan dilakukan bertahap, disesuaikan dengan kemampuan para operator dan tingkat persinggungannya dengan busway koridor II dan III," kata Panjaitan.

Berdasarkan data Organda, ada 29 trayek bus yang bersinggungan 40 hingga 70 persen dengan busway koridor II dan III. Di koridor II, terdapat 17 trayek angkutan umum yang bersinggungan dengan jumlah armada 179 unit. Sedangkan di koridor III, terdapat 12 trayek dengan armada bus sebanyak 123 unit.

Trayek-trayek itu, dioperasikan oleh beberapa perusahaan angkutan, antara lain Mikrolet dan Kopaja. Dua perusahaan tersebut, belum bergabung dengan PT Transbatavia sebagai operator busway koridor II dan III.

Terkait dengan itu, Ketua DPP Organda DKI, Herry Rotti, mengusulkan agar perusahaan bus yang trayeknya bersinggungan dengan busway koridor II dan III tapi belum bergabung dalam konsorsium PT TransBatavia bisa masuk menjadi salah satu anggotanya. "Sebaiknya perusahaan-perusahaan itu diikutsertakan juga dalam konsorsium karena mereka juga akan merasakan dampak signifikan akibat beroperasinya busway koridor II dan III," kata Herry.

Menanggapi hal itu, Kepala Dinas Perhubungan DKI Jakarta, Nurachman, mengatakan, tidak tertutup kemungkinan bagi perusahaan angkutan lainnya untuk bergabung dalam konsorsium PT TransBatavia. (J-9)



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Last modified: 12/1/06

:cheers:

New busway corridors up and running

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso claimed on Sunday that with the opening of the two new busway corridors, a new era of mass rapid transit had begun in the city.

"We will soon construct a monorail and a subway line to further alleviate traffic congestion in Jakarta," he promised after officially christening the new corridors.

Sutiyoso expected the two corridors -- traversing the city east to west -- to transport 50,000 to 70,000 passengers per day.

The new corridors link Pulogadung in East Jakarta with Harmoni in Central Jakarta and Harmoni with Kalideres in West Jakarta.

Initially, nine buses will be serving corridor 2 on the Pulogadung-Harmoni route and 14 buses will be used on corridor 3 on the Harmoni-Kalideres route.

The city administration plans to gradually increase the number of buses to 30 for corridor 2 and 41 for corridor 3 by April. By the end of this year, 126 buses are expected to be available for the two routes. Four other routes are also being readied to belaunched by the end of 2006.

The busway system's maiden corridor takes commuters along the Blok M-Kota route. It carries approximately 1.7 million passengers each month. (abd/***)

dari www.kompas.com

Peresmian Busway Koridor II dan III
Sutiyoso: 2014 Jakarta Terancam Macet Total
Bila Tak Miliki Transportasi Massal

Jakarta, Minggu

Gubernur DKI Jakarta, Sutiyoso meyakini, jika Jakarta tidak segera memiliki sistem transportasi massal yang terpadu, maka dikhawatirkan tahun 2014 ibukota akan mengalami kemacetan lalulintas total.

"Pada 2014 , menurut suatu survei bisa terjadi kemacetan total dimana-mana bila kita tidak segera memiliki sistem transportasi massal yang terpadu," kata Sutiyoso saat berbicara dalam acara peresmian peluncuran busway koridor II dan III, di Jakarta, Minggu (15/1).

Sutiyoso menjelaskan kemacetan total itu bisa saja terjadi mengingat saat ini jumlah kendaraan bermootor di Jakarta sudah mencapai sekitar empat juta unit apalagi pertumbuhan mencapai 11 persen sedangkan pertumbuhan jalan hanya empat persen. "Belum lagi kawasan sekitar Jakarta, seperti Bogor, Tangerang dan Bekasi memberikan kontribusi kendaraan ke Jakarta sekitar 700 ribu per hari," katanya.

Dalam kaitan dengan kekhawatiran itulah maka pemerintah DKI Jakarta menyiapkan sebuah rencana dengan nama pola tranportasi metropolitan terdiri atas subway, monorel, dan 15 koridor busway untuk jangka panjang.

Subway nantinya akan melayani Lebak bulus-Fatmawati hingga Sudirman dan Jalan Thamrin, sementara untuk monorel akan menghubungkan Jakarta Timur dan Jakarta Barat. Sedangkan busway akan berjumlah 15 koridor hingga 2006 memang baru tiga koridor baru dioperasikan. "Pada 2006 nanti, empat koridor akan kita bangun," kata Sutiyoso.

Menyinggung tentang busway kordior I, Sutiyoso mengatakan itu merupakan salah satu upaya untuk menyelesaikan masalah kemacetan. "Hingga dua tahun pengoperasiannya, busway koridor I telah mengangkut 35,9 juta penumpang atau 1,7 juta penumpang setiap bulannya," kata Sutiyoso.

Hingga saat ini pemasukan untuk busway koridor I mencapai Rp29 miliar dan angka itu merupakan suatu bukti bahwa keberadaan busway koridor I memang dibutuhkan masyarakat.

Pada acara peresmian busway koridor II dan III, juga hadir antara lain, anggota DPD dari DKI Jakarta, Moeryati Sudibyo, Ketua DPR Agung Laksono, Kapolda Metro Jaya (PMJ), Irjen Firman Gani, dan Pangdam Jaya Mayjen Agustadi Sasongko Purnomo dan juga sejumlah duta besar dari negara sahabat antara lain Palestina Ribbhi Awad .

Sumber: Ant
Penulis: Glo

news from www.thejakartapost.com

Women travel far to become busway drivers

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

News of the Jakarta administration's plan to open more busway corridors changed the life of Theresia Rahayu, 33, a resident of Wonogiri regency in Central Java.

Since hearing that news, she had kept in close contact with an old school mate living in Jakarta to keep her informed of any job vacancies at PT TransBatavia, the partner of BP TransJakarta busway management.

The mother of two left her family and applied to become a driver.

"I decided to come to Jakarta six months ago because I don't want to miss the opportunity. It's not the salary I'm interested in ... what I have in mind is to become a busway driver," she told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Theresia is used to driving many kinds of public transport vehicles in her hometown. She was a truck driver before joining TransBatavia.

"My dream has come true. After being a guest at my friend's house for six months, I can start working as a busway driver on Monday," she said.

Her former classmate, Herawati, was also accepted as a busway driver.

"It's good to be together again ... We are proud to have been selected as female drivers. We want to show that women have the quality to do those jobs that are mostly dominated by men," said Herawati.

As a mother of four, the youngest still eight-months old, Herawati, a resident of Cipinang, East Jakarta, has to hire a nanny.

The wife of a police officer said that her family and neighbors fully supported her decision to become a busway driver.

Previously, Herawati earned extra money by driving a minivan bringing neighboring children to their school.

They are among 27 new women drivers recruited by TransBatavia -- the sole provider of buses used along busway corridors -- for the new corridors linking Pulogadung bus terminal in East Jakarta to Harmoni in Central Jakarta, and from Harmoni to Kalideres bus terminal in West Jakarta.

The first corridor linking Blok M in South Jakarta and Kota in West Jakarta presently has seven women drivers.

Their working hours are from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. every day.

A busway driver earns a salary of Rp 2.1 million (about US$220) per month.

The company earlier said that the decision to hire more women drivers was based on an evaluation of the first nine women drivers, with their performance being judged superior to that of the men drivers.

Another driver, Evrin Louhenapessy, 30, even resigned from her job at a consumer goods company in Jakarta.

Hailing from South Sulawesi, Ervin left her husband in their hometown.

"I have my husband's support ... I'm happy to become a busway driver because it's a secure job, at least, and I can get a fixed salary," she added.

news from www.thejakartapost.com

The joys of riding the busway

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Every morning from my home on the city outskirts I am faced with the decision of what mode of transportation to choose -- the ultra-cheap but infamous trains, even more infamous buses, or the relative comfort of an air-conditioned busway feeder. A taxi for me is a last resort, as the cost is way beyond what my purse can allow.

This morning I chose comfort over cost, and rode on the Rp 10,000 (about US$1) busway feeder that would drop me off at the busway shelter in front of Ratu Plaza in South Jakarta. From there I could then proceed on the Rp 3,500 busway to an appointment with a friend at Plaza Indonesia in Central Jakarta.

It was still too early for my appointment, however, so I decided to loiter a bit and take a really good look at the bus shelter.

There was hardly anyone about that morning and I plumped myself down on one of the metal benches. Next to me was a man in a shirt and tie taking advantage of the Media Indonesia newspaper available to read there. The complimentary busway newspaper, Jakarta Free, I discovered, was no longer published.

Another would-be passenger, this time a woman in a neat business suit, carefully coiffured hair and stiletto shoes, was standing nearby talking into a mobile phone.

She would not have dared show her phone on a Metromini, I reflected, as I too took out my phone to SMS my friend, asking about her position. She was, unsurprisingly, still held up in front of Komdak, South Jakarta, in a traffic jam.

The streets outside were already beginning to get congested, and I couldn't help but feel a little superior that I was not one of those stuck in the traffic.

A bus came to a stop, and its orange and red uniformed conductor deftly let out passengers before allowing the man with the tie and the coiffured woman on board. With a wave of his hand, the bus's automatic doors snapped shut and away the bus went.

There is an LCD monitor at the busway shelter, airing commercials for a mobile telephone operator. Advertisers have taken advantage of the opportunity provided by the shelter's automatic sliding doors, panels, and even the bus's interior.

The interior of the bus that I traveled on was pasted with cleverly placed advertisements for a popular brand of soap.

In less than 15 minutes my bus arrived at the Bunderan HI stop where my friend was waiting. We were going have lunch at Plaza Indonesia. She's paying of course. All in all, it has not been a bad morning.

news from www.thejakartapost.com

New services leave bus drivers seeing red

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The opening of two new busway corridors on Sunday could draw the ire of traditional bus drivers as the plan to reroute them has not been completed by the city administration.

Data from the City Transportation Agency shows that 17 routes, with 179 buses, would be affected by the opening of Pulogadung-Harmoni busway corridor, while the Harmoni-Kalideres route will make 12 routes served by 123 buses obsolete.

"I have no idea about the rerouting plan. My superiors haven't given us any notification," a bus driver identified as Ambela, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday at the Pulogadung bus terminal.

"At Pulogadung alone, the number of buses that would be affected by the new busway route could be more than one hundred. Our company alone has 17 buses operating on the route," he said.

"If we have to share our lane with busway, we will surely go out of business," he added.

Another bus driver who refused to be identified said ominously, "We'll see what happens in the next few weeks. If the authorities give busway operators special treatment, while neglecting the rest of us, then riots and protests are to be expected".

A PPD Cicakung branch field operator, Endang Suparman, said that none of the bus operators had yet to receive the reroute plan. "I guess for the mean time we have to share our route with busway."

The Head of the City Bus Unit of the Jakarta Association of Public Transportation Owners (Organda), Noor Usman, confirmed that the bus owners had talked to the city administration about the issue.

"Most of the bus drivers are afraid of losing passengers to the busway. I fear this condition could escalate into a violent clash," said Usman, who is the owner of the Mayasari bus company.

However, City Transportation Agency head Nurrachman dismissed the threats.

"There is no security threat whatsoever. The busway will commence on Sunday. Whatever problems that may lie ahead, we will solve them," he asserted on Saturday.

"There are 600 security men guarding the new busway lanes and at the bus stations. Just like we did it for the first busway corridor. Security wise, I think we are well prepared," he added. (04)

from www.thejakartapost.com, what they say about Jakarta BRT (Busway)

'I hope the good service gets better'

With two more corridors starting operations on Sunday, some people say the busway is an answer to the chaotic traffic problems in the capital. The Jakarta Post asked some city residents about their opinions of the busway.

Tarita, 28, is an employee of a modeling agency in Jakarta. She lives in Bintaro:

Since the first busway bus began service, I've always used them to go to my office. I feel a lot safer using the busway. There are no pickpockets or other glad hands.

The buses are air conditioned, which is comfortable, meaning I'm in a relaxed condition when I arrive at the office. There are also no street singers with noisy instruments, the kind you often meet on regular buses.

I've heard there is going to be new busway route connecting East Jakarta to the west. I think that's good. A big and busy city like Jakarta needs a fast, efficient transportation system free from traffic jams. I just hope the service survives and improves.

Marrosti, 26, works in a private company in North Jakarta. She lives in Pulogebang, North Jakarta:

I've only used the busway once. I was going to attend a job interview in Harmoni, Central Jakarta, and so I went on the bus from Jl. Gajah Mada.

It was a fun ride. I got there faster since there was no traffic jam.

Because the buses stop only at specific terminals, they move along a lot faster.

However, you can't always get off where you want to either and sometimes its a long walk to wait at a busway station. -- The Jakarta Post

news from www.thejakartapost.com

New busway routes up and running

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso did the honors on Sunday at City Hall on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan, Central Jakarta, sounding a siren to launch the opening of two more busway corridors in the capital.

With the success of the first Blok M-Kota corridor, launched two years ago amid widespread criticism that it was unsuitable for Jakarta, the governor as well as members of the public, the business community and the once skeptical media had good reason to feel confident as the new blue-and-white additions went into service at Pulogadung terminal.

Sutiyoso told the gathering that an estimated 40 million people had used the busway service since it began operations, with an average of 1.7 million passengers in the past two months.

"According to a survey by JICA and the administration, 14 percent of a total of about 4.8 million private car owners have switched to the busway," he said, referring to the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

"With the two new corridors, we hope more and more Jakartans will leave their cars at home and take the busway instead."

The first additional corridor, covering 14.3 kilometers, begins in Pulogadung bus station in East Jakarta and ends at Harmoni in Central Jakarta. The second new one, spanning a distance of 18.7 kilometers, stretches from Harmoni to Kalideres bus station in West Jakarta.

A ride from Pulogadung to Harmoni takes about 30 minutes while passengers need only 45 minutes to arrive at Kalideres from Harmoni.

For a fare of Rp 3,500 (37 U.S. cents), passengers are entitled to switch between the corridors on the line until they reach their final destination.

"I will try to use the busway to go to the office. If it is like the first one, then I will definitely take the busway and sell my car," said Fadli Chandra, a resident of Pulogadung who works for a private bank in Kota, West Jakarta. --JP

NEW BUS: Busway driver Dian Ronawati steers her new coach down the route from Harmoni in Central Jakarta to Pulo Gadung, East Jakarta. Governor Sutiyoso officially launched the two new busway corridors on Sunday. (JP/Mulkan Salmona)