Ministry Of Transportation Optimizes Land, Sea And Air Transportation Services To Remote Areas

Photo: Doc. Ministry of Transportation

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) is optimizing transportation services on land, sea, air, and rail that reach remote areas after the budget allocation for pioneer transportation in 2023 has increased compared to the previous year.

"The provision of this pioneering transport subsidy is given to reduce transportation costs so that our brothers and sisters who are in underdeveloped, remote, outermost, and border areas (3TP) can get good transportation services and can also get prices for basic necessities that are also affordable," said the Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi as quoted from his official statement, as reported by Antara, Monday 6 February.

The Ministry of Transportation noted that in 2023, the budget allocation for pioneering subsidies in all modes of transportation is IDR 3.51 trillion. This number has increased compared to 2022 of IDR 3.01 trillion. The details for each mode of transportation, namely land transportation IDR 1.32 trillion, sea transportation IDR 1.47 trillion, air transportation IDR 550.1 billion, and railways IDR 175.9 billion.

This amount does not include the public service obligation (PSO) subsidy or the 2023 public service obligation in the railway sector of IDR 2.54 trillion and in the sea transportation sector of IDR 2.39 trillion.

The Minister of Transportation said the need for pioneering transportation services was urgently needed, considering that Indonesia is an archipelagic country. He revealed that there are still many areas that need the support of public transportation services to open up accessibility and expedite the movement of passengers and goods.

"We are coordinating intensively with the regional government regarding the provision of pioneering transportation. Regional heads have always conveyed their aspirations to us so that the Ministry of Transportation can provide or add public transportation services in their areas that cannot yet be accessed or which have not been served optimally," he said.

The Ministry of Transportation, he continued, always tries to fulfill the aspirations of the regions by looking at the priority scale and the capability of the APBN in terms of the amount of subsidy budget allocations that can be given.

"Our hope is that more and more areas previously served by pioneer transport will upgrade to commercial class because the purpose of providing subsidies is to increase the standard of living and purchasing power of the people in those areas," said the Minister of Transportation.

According to him, if transportation services in an area have become commercial, then the subsidy budget allocation can be diverted to other areas that need it more.

"Pioneer transport subsidies are proof that the government is present in the midst of people's needs to get public transportation services," said the Minister of Transportation.

The Ministry of Transportation detailed that for 2023, in the land transportation sector, the allocation of pioneering subsidies and PSO will be given to road transport services on 327 routes, intermodal transportation on 37 routes, goods transportation on six routes, pioneer crossings on 273 routes, roro long-distance ferries on two routes, as well as urban transportation in 10 cities.

Then, in the sea transportation sector, the allocation of pioneering subsidies and PSO is given to 116 routes for pioneering ship services, 39 routes for sea toll cargo ships, 6 special livestock transport ships, and 16 rede ship operations.

Next, in the air transportation sector, 21 regional coordinators (Korwil) serve pioneer air transport with 220 pioneer air transport routes for passengers and 41 cargo routes. Meanwhile, the 21 regional coordinators operating pioneer air transportation are scattered in a number of areas, namely Sinabang, Gunung Sitoli, Singkep, Kuala Pemburan, Tarakan, Samarinda, Sumenep, Masamba, Waingapu, Ternate, Langgur, Sorong, Manokwari, Nabire, Elelim, Wamena, Merauke, Tanah Merah, Dekai, and Oksibil.

Meanwhile in the railway sector, the subsidy allocation will be given to Pioneer train services in five regions, namely Central Java, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, South Sumatra and Aceh.