Only 8 Percent of Regional Budgets Allocate for Public Transportation, the DPR Says a Serious Alarm

Public transportation mode Transjakarta (VOI)

Member of Commission V of the Indonesian House of Representatives from the PDI-P Faction, Irine Yusiana Roba Putri, highlighted the low commitment of local governments in providing modern public transportation for the community.

Data from the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) notes that out of a total of 514 local governments in Indonesia, only about 8 percent or 42 areas allocate budget from the APBD for the development of public transportation. This means that more than 90 percent of areas still do not provide decent, safe, and affordable public transportation services.

Irine assessed that the figure shows that public transportation has not been positioned as a priority basic service in many areas.

"This 8 percent figure is a serious alarm for all of us. This means that the majority of areas have not yet made public transportation a major need for the community," Irine told reporters, Monday, March 30.

According to Irine, transportation issues are not only related to mobility, but also concern public access to various important services. The availability of public transportation is considered to have a direct impact on the public's opportunity to access education, health services, and economic opportunities.

He highlighted low-income groups and people in remote areas as the parties most affected by the lack of public transportation services.

"Public transportation is not just a mode of travel, but a bridge of opportunity for people to work, study, and live more prosperous," he said.

Irine considers it necessary for the central government to intervene more strongly so that public transportation can be evenly provided throughout the region. He assessed that the national policy approach through the Presidential Instruction (Inpres) can be an acceleration step, as was previously done in the regional road and irrigation sectors.

Through Commission V of the DPR RI, he encouraged the government to immediately issue a Presidential Decree on Public Transportation to accelerate the development of public transportation services in the region.

On the other hand, Irine reminded that the obligation to provide public transportation had actually been regulated in Law Number 22 of 2009 concerning Road Traffic and Transportation. However, its implementation is considered not to have run optimally in the field.

He also highlighted the budget for the Buy The Service (BTS) bus program in areas that have actually decreased, amid the increasing need for transportation services.

In addition, Irine emphasized the importance of developing electric-based public transportation and expanding the reach of services to the 3TP (Left Behind, Leading, Outer, and Interior) areas.

According to him, without equal access to mobility, the gap between regions will be increasingly difficult to suppress.

"Public transportation is the foundation of equitable development. Without fair mobility access, the gap between regions will widen," he concluded.