Get Ready, Ministry Of Transportation Will Increase BTS-Based Public Transport Fares

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Transportation plans to impose tariffs on urban transportation based on the Buy The Service (BTS) scheme starting this year for the sake of justice for all transportation operators.

“Currently, it is zero rupiah because it is an introduction to the public what BTS is. But this service does not always run at zero rupiah," said Head of the Sub-Directorate of Urban Transport, Directorate General of Land Transportation, Ministry of Transportation Toni Agus Setiono in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Thursday, July 28.

Toni said that the plan to impose tariffs on transportation based on the BTS scheme was also carried out in order to encourage community contributions in the development of public transportation.

The BTS scheme itself is the purchase of urban mass transit services belonging to the operator by the government with an auction mechanism based on minimum service standards or quality licensing.

The central government through the Ministry of Transportation subsidizes 100 percent of the vehicle operating costs needed to carry out the specified minimum service.

Toni said the BTS-scheme transportation program has been implemented since 2020 in 10 cities, namely Palembang, Surakarta, Denpasar, Yogyakarta, Medan, Bandung, Surabaya, Banjarmasin, Makassar and Banyumas.

Since it was first launched until now, this transportation has been enjoyed free of charge by the public, but it is planned that tariffs will be imposed starting in 2022 through the letter of the Secretary General of the Ministry of Transportation Number PR.306/1/4/PHB 2022 on May 9, 2022.

The proposal for the imposition of tariffs was also made through the letter of the Secretary General of the Ministry of Transportation Number KU.003/1/2/PHB 2022 on July 19, namely the Proposal to Add Volatile Types and Tariffs of Non-Tax State Revenue.

In detail, the tariff for urban transportation with the BTS scheme includes Rp. 4,000 for Palembang, Rp. 3,700 for Surakarta, Rp. 4,400 for Denpasar, Rp. 3,600 for Yogyakarta and Rp. 4,300 for Medan.

Then Bandung Rp4,900, Surabaya Rp6,200, Banjarmasin Rp4,300, Makassar Rp4,600 and Banyumas Rp3,900.

However, Toni said that the proposed tariff is not final because there will still be a public test so that it has the potential to change.

The proposed urban transportation fare with the BTS scheme is included in the Draft Minister of Finance Regulation (RPMK) and will be determined when it is final through the Minister of Finance Regulation (PMK).

"After the RPMK is set at the Ministry of Finance to become PMK, 45 days later this tariff is enforced. But now the tariff is still zero rupiah,” he said.