Viral Car Driving Backwards on the Matraman Transjakarta Line, Police Give Explanation

JAKARTA - Police said that the incident of a car entering the Transjakarta lane in the Matraman area, East Jakarta, on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, was allegedly due to the driver not paying attention to the traffic sign installed at the location.

"At the Matraman traffic light, drivers take the right lane which is actually enforced contraflow until the Dobrak area, in front of the Sofyan Hotel. The vehicle should turn left, not straight," said Head of Operations (KBO) of East Jakarta Traffic Police AKP Eko Apriyanto, Thursday, January 14, 2026.

The statement was in response to the viral video on the Instagram media @jakarta.terkini which showed a black car backing up because it was blocked by a Transjakarta bus in front of it.

The car cannot turn left or right because the lane is limited by the Transjakarta separator and the park on the side of the road.

Based on the results of the survey conducted by officers in the morning, said Eko, the vehicle was traveling from Salemba to Matraman.

On the road, there are signs prohibiting drivers from turning left.

However, the driver of the car actually drove straight into the Transjakarta lane which leads from south to north.

"It is possible that the driver did not see the sign. It could be because the person just crossed the road," said Eko.

In addition, he explained that the contraflow system in the area was implemented since the construction of the LRT which caused the narrowing of the road from the Salemba traffic light to Matraman.

Currently, one lane is used for Transjakarta, two lanes for public vehicles, and one lane for contraflow.

"The signs are actually there and clear, including around Gramedia Matraman. But, maybe the drivers don't pay attention," said Eko.

He also appealed to road users to be more vigilant and obey traffic signs, especially in areas that implement traffic engineering, to avoid violations and endanger fellow road users.