Nusantara Tour by Train, the Preferred Transportation Choice for Tourists

JAKARTA - Transportation has an important role in supporting the development of the tourism sector. In addition to facilitating community mobility, safe, comfortable, and easily accessible transportation services are also a determining factor in the quality of the tourist experience during travel.

The better the transportation system available, the greater the opportunity for a destination to develop and attract more visitors.

In Indonesia, rail-based transportation modes are increasingly becoming the choice of the public for traveling, including for tourism activities. Trains are considered capable of providing a comfortable and efficient travel experience, especially for reaching various intercity destinations.

In recent years, the improvement in service quality carried out by PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) or KAI has also contributed to supporting domestic tourist mobility.

The transformation of services carried out by KAI in recent years has made it one of the successful examples of public transportation management in Indonesia.

Consistency in providing safe, comfortable, timely, and customer-oriented services makes this company not only a reference in the transportation sector, but also inspires other industries to improve service quality.

This is a note revealed by Djoko Setijowarno, Academic and Land Transportation Observer in a podcast titled "Looking at the Transformation of Railway Services in Indonesia. Is it Global Equivalent!" on Marketeers TV.

He said KAI's success was inseparable from a long-term commitment to maintaining service quality. The continuously developing service is considered capable of building public trust while creating a new standard in the implementation of public transportation in Indonesia.

"Consistency in providing quality services makes many companies make KAI as a source of inspiration, not only transportation companies," said Djoko Setijowarno.

For tourists, the quality of transportation services is an important part in determining the comfort of travel. Ease of booking tickets, punctuality of departure, cleanliness of facilities, to comfort during the trip are factors that can improve the overall travel experience.

Therefore, various innovations carried out by KAI not only provide benefits for daily users, but also support the needs of the community's increasingly diverse tourism.

One of the innovations that KAI continues to develop is the digitization of services that make it easier for customers to plan travel.

Various features on the Access by KAI application allow customers to organize their trips more practically, from ticket purchases to managing their trips digitally. KAI also presents the Female Seat Map feature as a form of improving service quality in order to provide safe and comfortable travel space in intercity train services for female passengers.

Through this digital service, female customers can choose seats next to other women through the integration of NIK data that automatically detects gender. This innovation is one form of KAI's commitment to creating a more comfortable travel experience for all customers, including tourists.

According to Djoko, when compared to a number of developed countries, the quality of public transportation services in Indonesia today is already able to compete.

KAI's service is an example of how transportation operators can manage a system that is orderly and focuses on customer experience.

He gave an example, in some big cities in the world such as Paris, there are still practices of users who break through the gate to avoid paying tickets.

Meanwhile, similar conditions are relatively rare in Indonesia. This phenomenon shows that the success of KAI services does not only depend on technology and infrastructure, but is also supported by a culture of discipline that grows among the community.

The experience of studying abroad in various countries also shows that KAI services and Indonesian public transportation services in general have strong competitiveness. According to Djoko, a number of public facilities in Indonesia can even be managed better than some countries that were previously learning destinations.

One example that reflects the superiority of KAI's services is the provision of mosque facilities at various stations. As a country with the largest Muslim population in the world, the need for prayer space is an important part of the travel experience of both the community and tourists. KAI responds to this need by presenting a clean mosque, with adequate capacity, and easy access for customers.

"Facilities like this are not widely found in other countries. In fact, urban stations equipped with prayer rooms with good service standards can only be found in Indonesia. The presence of these facilities shows that KAI services are not only focused on operational aspects, but are also able to understand the social and cultural needs of the communities they serve," he said.

The success of KAI services is also reflected in the increasing public confidence in rail-based transportation modes. Various innovations are presented, ranging from improving travel comfort to improving station facilities, making KAI services more relevant to the needs of modern customers, including tourists who prioritize comfort during travel.

These various efforts also automatically strengthen KAI's position as one of the competitive faces of public transportation in Indonesia. Currently, Djoko sees that public transportation services in Jakarta have developed into a benchmark for local governments and transportation operators in various regions of Indonesia. The management of the metro system in the capital has been judged to have shown good practices so that it is not always necessary to look for references abroad to find the best examples.

According to him, this success proves that Indonesia is able to provide a standard of public transportation service that is competitive and relevant to the needs of the community.

"In this context, KAI services are one of the tangible proofs that the quality of services that are consistently built can develop from mere means of transportation to a source of inspiration for various public service sectors in Indonesia." he concluded.