Urban Transport Transformation through the Implementation of Bus Rapid Transit

20 May 2021

With the Government of Indonesia’s (GoI) commitment to developing urban mass public transport, which includes BRT infrastructure development and providing government subsidies for its operation, major Indonesian cities are currently undergoing urban transformation and are in the process of developing their BRT system with dedicated lanes. This also includes SUTRI NAMA & INDOBUS’s pilot cities Bandung, Semarang, Makassar, Pekanbaru, and Batam, who have undergone a study to develop a BRT system that is tailored to their city’s characteristics.

In early 2021, SUTRI NAMA & INDOBUS has moved forward to develop a Feasibility Study (FS) of BRT development in Batam and Makassar Metropolitan Area, also known as the Mamminasata Area that consist of Makassar, Maros, Sungguminasa, dan Takalar. Following the local election in Makassar on December 2020, SUTRI NAMA & INDOBUS conducted a courtesy meeting with the newly elected Mayor of Makassar, Mr. Mohammad Ramdhan ‘Danny’ Pomanto on 20 May 2021, to discuss SUTRI NAMA & INDOBUS activities and Makassar city’s transport plans under his administration.

SUTRI NAMA & INDOBUS’s courtesy Meeting with the Mayor and government officials of Makassar

The mayor welcomed the representatives of SUTRI NAMA & INDOBUS, which includes the representatives from SECO as one of the donors of the programme and representatives from GIZ as the implementing agency to the programme. The mayor mentioned the extraordinary opportunity that will be available with the implementation of the programme. In addition, the SUTRI NAMA & INDOBUS visited the Acting Governor of South Sulawesi, Andi Sudirman Sulaiman. He believes that the programme could support the ease of community accessibility in Mamminasata.

Aside from the support given by government officials of SUTRI NAMA & INDOBUS’s pilot cities, such that in Makassar, readiness of relevant stakeholders become a key focus in preparing and implementing the BRT. In order to support these cities, the Ministry of Transportation of Indonesia and SUTRI NAMA & INDOBUS conducted a Webinar on Lesson Learned of Implementation on Bus Rapid Transit Project and Institutional Transformation for Urban Transport on Friday, 17 June 2021. The webinar provided participants from local governments who are currently or are in preparation for BRT projects in their regions with lessons learned and experiences from cities that have successfully implemented a BRT system, including problems, challenges, and opportunities that may arise in the process of institutional transformation in preparation and implementation of BRT projects.

Speakers, MC, and moderators of the Webinar on Lesson Learned from Implementation on BRT.

Moderated by the Secretary-General of Indonesia Transportation Society (MTI), Harya S. Dillon, the webinar featured international speakers from China and Malaysia as well as Indonesia’s practitioners.

Starting from China, Ms. Xiao Mei Duan, Technical Director Far East BRT shared the best practices and case studies of Chinese BRT Projects, including that of her valuable first-hand experience in the Guangzhou BRT, which has the 2nd highest capacity BRT in the world. The second presenter is Mr. Rudyanto Azhar Director of Iskandar Malaysia BRT who presented lessons learned on Iskandar Malaysia BRT (IMBRT) project implementation, a federally managed economic region in the Malaysian-Singaporean border. Lastly, Mr. Tory Damantoro, TransJakarta’s Risk Committee & Head of Indonesia Transport Society Jakarta region, presented on the institutional aspect of BRT, lessons learned from TransJakarta, which has evolved to the current municipal corporation form since 2014, to accommodate evolving needs and expectations of the BRT system and also to remain in compliance with prevailing laws and regulations.

During the discussion session, 96 participants from sub-national government stakeholders, were interested in discussing various issues, particularly regarding inadequate road space for dedicated bus lanes and supporting facilities, public transport reform, and electric busses. In the end, not only did the participants gain knowledge regarding the process of developing a BRT system, but speakers also benefited from the insights that they gained from their discussions, including that of their experience in dealing with the regulatory framework in their respective countries, financial sustainability of each system, engineering design and system features.

Contact:
Nabila Fachir – Communications & Public Relations Professional
Sustainable Urban Transport Programme Indonesia (SUTRI NAMA) and the project component Indonesian Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Development Project (INDOBUS) Indonesia

Key buzzwords / “tags”:
Sustainable, Transport, Infrastructure, Indonesia, Urban, Mobility, BRT