Bali Provincial Government Agrees To Distribution Of Trans Metro Dewata Operational Costs

Bali Governor Wayan Koster (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Provincial Government (Pemprov) of Bali and Regional Governments throughout Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar, Tabanan (Sarbagita) have agreed on the distribution of costs to operate Trans Metro Dewata again.

Bali Governor Wayan Koster said that the total funds collected were IDR 49.7 billion, of which this amount was able to move public transportation until December 2025.

The money was obtained from mutual cooperation funds with 30 percent from the Bali Provincial Government, and 70 percent from the Sarbagita Regional Government.

"The Bali Provincial Government contributed 30 percent or Rp. 15 billion, the Denpasar City Government Rp. 14 billion, Badung Rp. 16 billion, Gianyar Rp. 4.7 billion, and Tabanan zero, will be supported by the Badung Regency Government," said Koster quoting Antara.

In addition to successfully finding solutions through sharing operational financing with districts that are crossed by red buses, the total costs incurred are also more efficient than the Ministry of Transportation's budget.

In the past, before the central government stopped the operation of the Trans Metro Dewata, the costs used to run public transportation were IDR 80 billion.

Now, local governments are outsmarting (looking for reason) by overhauling traffic hours and bus units, so as to reduce costs but still optimally serving the community.

"Initially it was financed from Ministry of Transportation funds worth Rp. 80 billion, meaning that there would be savings worth Rp. 30 billion compared to the previous financing," he said.

Trans Metro Dewata itself is confirmed to return to operation from Sunday, April 20, 2025 tomorrow after being suspended for four months.

One of the evaluated local governments is the bus traffic which is often quiet without passengers, so that later the bus with a total capacity of more than 30 people will move optimally in the morning and evening.

In order to fulfill this, the government only used 75 buses from the original 105 fleets that passed about once every 15 minutes.

With this, Wayan Koster hopes that the public will be increasingly aware of the importance of using public transportation amid the problems of congestion that hit Bali.

"Hopefully the Balinese people will become more aware, more enthusiastic to switch to using transportation to replace private vehicles with public transportation, so that Bali will no longer have traffic jams," said the governor.

At the moment of the return of Trans Metro Dewata to Sarbagita asphalt, the Bali Provincial Government also said that although at a more cost-effective cost, no corridor changes were made.

The corridors served are corridor one Kuta-Terminal Preparation Parking Central, corridor two I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport, corridor three Unbung-Icon Mall Sanur Terminal, corridor four Ubung-Monkey Forest Terminal, corridor five Kuta-Politeknik Parking Central Bali, and corridor six Kuta-Nusa Dua Parking Central.