Indonesian Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi (centre) reviews the mass transportation service at Bandar Raya Payung Sekaki Type A Bus Station, Pekanbaru city, Riau province, on June 11. (source: ANTARA)

Jakarta – Indonesian Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi has requested local administrations to improve the quality of public transport services in accordance with the applicable safety and security standards.

President Joko Widodo’s directive is that mass transport should be improved so that it can become the community’s first choice when traveling, Sumadi told the press on June 12, adding that the Ministry of Transportation has to devise a plan, allocate the budget, implement and monitor the service well.

The minister said that Indonesia is one of the countries with the highest population growth in the world, so the massive use of means of private transport, especially in big cities, causes more traffic jams and pollution. Hence, all parties should participate in promoting the use of public transport.

The ministry recorded that the Bandar Raya Payung Sekaki Type A Bus Station served a total of 1,354,917 passengers in 2022, an increase of 26.2 per cent, from 1,073,480 passengers in 2021, according to Sumadi.

The bus station regularly conducts ramp checks or safety inspections to maintain the safety of passengers. Between January and May, the condition of 3,435 buses had been reviewed.