Today's Memory, May 8, 2014: Ahok Chooses Swedish-made Buses For TransJakarta Standards

The Scania bus used is the TransJakarta fleet. (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA Memori hari ini, 10 tahun yang lalu, 8 Mei 2014, Wakil Gubernur DKI Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) ingin bus Scania jadi standar TransJakarta. Ahok menganggap bus Scania adalah salah satu bus terbaik di dunia. Bus itu efesien, ramah lingkungan, dan berkualitas tinggi.

Previously, the DKI Jakarta government had given a mandate to the DKI Jakarta Transportation Agency to bring in buses for TransJakarta. Instead of high-quality buses, the bus that comes is a dilapidated bus. The condition is rusty and of poor quality.

Joko Widodo (Jokowi)-Ahok's efforts to advance the transportation system in Jakarta were tested. They are not only required to make people switch to using private transportation to the public, but also to be challenged in presenting quality and comfortable public transportation.

That thought was based on the fact that an uncomfortable bus would not be able to make someone switch to public transportation, especially TransJakarta. Steps to provide buses for TransJakarta are taken.

The government has mandated the Transportation Service to carry out a TransJakarta bus procurement project between July and September 2013. They plan to bring in a total of 600 buses from China. The procurement funds are not small, Rp1.5 trillion.

The project initially went smoothly. The first phase of the arrival of the bus went smoothly. A total of 125 buses have been brought in. Later the bus ulcers from China were finally visible. The condition of the bus is far from expectations. Many of the buses are in dire condition and of poor quality.

Jokowi-Ahok also suspected that the bus that came was the result of a recondition. The problem then invited the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). They sniffed something wrong with the procurement of TransJakarta buses. The KPK is starting to investigate.

As a result, the KPK moved quickly to arrest the former Head of the DKI Jakarta Transportation Agency, Udar Pristono. The DKI Jakarta government also took a stand. They gave up and did not want to continue to pay for the bus procurement project from China.

"We have just paid a down payment of 20 percent. If the importer of the Single Agent of Tradeholders (ATPM) continues to collect, we will also not remain silent. If the KPK is external. If the BPK goes down, it becomes a process within the government. We are not sending a letter to the KPK. It must have sent a letter to the BPK. Well, the results of BPK's findings have only been submitted to prosecutors or the police," Ahok said as quoted on the Republica page, March 5, 2014.

Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta, Ahok did not want to be disappointed twice. He did not want buses from China to be used for TransJakarta. Ahok then started looking for a bus that was considered the best in the world. Ahok was attracted by a Scania bus.

He also chose to try Scania first on May 8, 2014. The plan is for the Scania bus to pass the Monas-Hi Monas roundabout. As a result, Ahok said he was satisfied with Scania. Ahok considered that Scania is one of the best buses in the world. Awet too.

Ahok revealed that the Swedish bus had been used and used as a standard for quality buses by other countries Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, to Brazil. Ahok also wants to make the Scania bus the standard of the TransJakarta Rapid Transit (BRT) bus system.

"This means that the use period can be 30 years. That's why I say you don't want to buy a car that is (only) 3-4 years old, the brand is not clear; compared to the tested brand, which costs less than double (from the unclear brand)," Ahok said as quoted by Detik.com page, May 8, 2014.