TransJakarta to Add 500 More Electric Buses This Year
- TransJakarta
Jakarta, VIVA – The government plans to add more electric buses, with an additional 500 electric buses to be added by the end of this year.
"By the end of this year, TransJakarta will add 500 new bus units, consisting of large buses, medium buses, and microtrans or small buses. All of them will be electric buses," said Daud Joseph, Director of Operations and Safety at TransJakarta, in Jakarta, as quoted on Friday (Sept 13).
As known in 2022, TransJakarta first began operating electric buses and found that the operational costs of electric buses compared to diesel-based buses were roughly the same.
He said the experience of operating the first 100 electric buses taught TransJakarta that the production and maintenance costs of electric buses have become increasingly efficient and affordable.
"The hope is that with more people switching from private vehicles to zero-emission public transportation, we can collectively address the issue of air pollution," he stated.
Meanwhile, Rachmat Kaimuddin, Deputy for Infrastructure and Transportation Coordination at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, believes that the expansion and electrification of public transportation is key to addressing air pollution, especially in Jakarta.
"TransJakarta is very large and important to all of us. Its role is central in controlling air pollution in Jakarta," Kaimuddin stated.