Minister Sandiaga's Openings: I'm Frankly, Transportation Tickets Are Very Expensive

JAKARTA - Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy (Menparekraf) Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno admitted that the problem of expensive transportation tickets is still an unfinished homework. "I'm here to be honest, here it's still struggling. It's a very expensive bus ticket, plane tickets, transportation tickets are still burdensome," Sandiaga said after releasing free homecoming participants held in Jakarta, Monday, April 8. According to him, this is an economic challenge after the COVID-19 pandemic which should be the focus for the next government. "This is the task of the leader in the future how to make the affordability of prices, especially when the cost of living is very burdensome, it can be resolved," he said. Menparekraf also said as many as 45 million people depend on the parekraf sector.

Through the elected government, he also hopes to make parekraf a leading sector as an economic driver and create jobs.

Sandiaga said that his party had coordinated with the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of SOEs and airlines regarding the high price of domestic aircraft tickets (22/1). "We have coordinated this (the high flight ticket) with the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of SOEs and airlines as possible to reduce domestic flight ticket prices," he said.

He acknowledged the high cost of domestic flight tickets, which even surpassed the pre-pandemic price, had been complained of for more than nine months and this had a negative impact on the parekraf sector.