Jakarta’s Bus Rapid Transit System

Hoping to improve the worsening traffic situation in Jakarta brought about by a growing population of 8 million in 2000, Sutiyoso—then Governor of Jakarta—pushed for the construction of the Transjakarta Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), drawing inspiration from Bogota’s Transmilenio.

The BRT masterplan is projected to have a busway network consisting of 11 corridors. It is closed-trunk and without a functioning feeder system. The first corridor of around 12.9 km, essentially comprising a dedicated lane and loading platforms for large buses in the inner side of city streets, began operations in early 2004. Initially, the system ran well and showed good results—patrons’ travel time was reduced by an average of 20 minutes through a clean and convenient transport system that had longer operating hours. Pre-launch objections from affected bus operators and the driving public had disappeared. However, problems on the operational and managerial aspects of the project began to crop up a few months after the BRT was launched.

This case presents a number of measures and challenges faced by Governor Sutiyoso as he tried to introduce the BRT in Jakarta, and at the same time, venture towards increased stakeholder engagement and management.

This case study was developed by the Asian Institute of Management for the Asian Development Bank.