[sustran] Re: Jakarta busway opens new corridors
John Ernst
itdpasia at adelphia.net
Fri Jan 27 13:38:30 JST 2006
Paul, I can respond to some of your questions....
At 12:59 AM 1/26/2006, Paul Barter wrote:
>...> "As it is, the integrated ticketing system for both feeder
> > buses and the busway does not work properly. In my
> > experience, after buying the higher-priced tickets,
> > conductors on the feeder buses still demand a fare because
> > they do not recognize the integrated ticket," he
> said. {Darmaningtiyas, of Intrans and ITDP Indonesias}
>Can anyone who knows the project explain more about how the
>integrated ticketing was supposed to work and reasons for it going wrong?
After constructing the first BRT corridor, Jakarta attempted to use
existing bus routes to serve as "feeder" buses by selling an
additional paper ticket with the BRT (busway) ticket for a slightly
discounted price. This paper ticket was then to be given instead of
fare to the "feeder" bus conductor.
The primary problem in the function of these tickets was/is that the
bus operators do not trust they will get money when they turn in the
tickets to the government. (As this has been going on for almost
2-years, I assume it is a persistent problem.)
The vast majority of buses in Jakarta are private, and many of them
are rented to the operators on a daily cash basis. Any delay in
getting fares causes considerable problems for the operators, so they
frequently just refuse to accept the paper "feeder" tickets.
>In some ways I find it impressive and ambitious that they even tried
>to introduce integrated ticketing given that the regulatory
>framework for buses in Jakarta (from what little I know) seems an
>unlikely context for integrated ticketing reforms. Can anyone say
>more on this?
Yes, you're right. There is a lot of work to be done to improve the
regulatory framework for the non-BRT buses in Jakarta. TransJakarta
tried a simple approach of selling a paper fare coupon without
becoming entangled in route licensing. It hasn't worked. As the BRT
expands, there is increasing need to rethink the non-BRT bus routes
so that they can better complement the BRT system. Jakarta has an
advantage in that there is a general under-supply of buses, so
reallocation is theoretically possible. There are considerable
issues in terms of the transparency of the route allocation process.
>Given the existing regulatory context, does anyone have any
>suggestions on how to improve integration (eg ease of transfers,
>cheaper or free transfers) in public transort in Jakarta? Would the
>regulation system have to change in order to achieve better integration?
One issue that has to be addressed is the quality of service on many
of the non-BRT buses in Jakarta. The contrast to the BRT is so stark
in some cases, that many BRT passengers would not consider riding the
regular buses.
Also, Jakarta has been looking at improving their current contactless
fare card system and expanding it with readers on the regular buses
(as has been implemented in cities such as Hong Kong and Sao
Paulo). This allows a variety of fare integration possibilities, but
surely challenging to implement.
> Finally, how imporatant does everyone think integration is for
> public transport in low to middle-income cities, like Jakarta? Is
> it a luxury for higher-income places or is it fundamental to the
> improvement of public transport?
Fare-integration seems more essential in lower-income areas, where a
non-integrated fare is more of a burden on the passenger.
John
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John Ernst - Director, Asia Region
ITDP - The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy
Promoting environmentally sustainable and equitable transportation worldwide
Visit http://www.itdp.org
Tel: +1 (347) 694-4771 Fax: +1 (801) 365-5914 Skype: john.ernst
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