Jakarta Provincial Government's Strategy To Prevent COVID-19 By Reducing Operating Hours For Public Transportation

The atmosphere inside TransJakarta (Photos: Detha Arya Tifada / VOI)

JAKARTA - The Provincial Government (Pemprov) of DKI Jakarta will temporarily reduce the operational time intensity of public transportation. This step was taken to reduce outdoor community activities and prevent the increasingly massive spread of the corona virus.

DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said public transportation, such as the MRT, LRT, and TransJakarta, will have a minimum operating time. Later, the transportation facility will only serve the public from 06.00 to 18.00 WIB. Where previously public transportation operated from 05.00 to 24.00 WIB.

"We want to convey that public transportation services in Jakarta will undergo changes. We will reduce the service capacity in an extreme way," said Anies in Jakarta, Sunday, March 15.

For MRT transportation, not only will the operating time be reduced. The number of series of trains will also decrease. Usually, in the previous days around 16 series were operated to serve the community, so less than half of them would later be used.

In addition, the number of passengers will also be reduced for each car. The capacity of one MRT carriage, which can be boarded by 300 people, will only be able to be boarded by 60 people.

"Each car (previously) has a maximum of 300 people, later it will be filled with a maximum of 60 people," said Anies.

Not much different, the same system will also be applied to LRT transportation. However, there are differences in the duration of the train's passage. Usually, the train will pass every 10 minutes, however, for the current conditions it is every 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, for Trans Jakarta, there is also a reduction in aramada. Starting Monday, March 16, the buses will only carry passengers in 13 corridors. "Transjakarta, which currently serves 248 routes, will be significantly changed, reduced to only 13 routes," said Anies.

Friends of TiJe, Transjakarta also implemented social distancing by changing operating patterns to minimize transmission of Covid 19. pic.twitter.com/8d9qxOYYIU

- Jakarta Transportation (@PT_Transjakarta) March 15, 2020