REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The government will further develop and expand modes of integrated transportation to ease traffic congestion in Jakarta and the surrounding areas, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated.
"We have not only developed an airport train but we also want private car users to opt for alternative means of mass transportation," President Jokowi stated at the Sudirman Baru Station in Central Jakarta after inaugurating and boarding a train from the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tuesday.
The government is encouraging private car users to use mass transportation modes, such as Mass Rapid Transit, Light Rail Transit, busways, and the airport train, which will be integrated.
"The airport train is ready, and next, it will be the LRT in 2019, and later the MRT connecting the south with the north. (They will be completed) one by one," the head of state remarked.
President Joko Widodo dresses up casually when inaugurating and boarding a train from the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Tuesday. (Republika/Debbie Sutrisno)
Jakarta's notorious traffic congestion has inflicted material losses worth up to Rp67 trillion. Hence, the development of integrated, comfortable, and punctual mass transportation modes is a must for the greater Jakarta areas, including Bekasi, Tangerang, Depok, and Bogor.
Jokowi lauded the service of the new airport train that he described as good and punctual.
"Yes, we have seen that the train is good and comfortable, with the most important aspect being that it is fast and on time, with a trip lasting 55 minutes," he noted.
The Soekarno-Hatta airport train is also disabled-friendly.
The president also encouraged the use of cashless modes of payment, such as through credit or debit cards.
Jokowi expressed hope that the airport train's ticket price at Rp70 thousand per person per trip would be maintained, and a subsidy would perhaps be provided by the Jakarta administration since the airport train would encourage the public to use it in place of private cars.
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