Government plan to slash Commuter Line subsidies sparks backlash
The plan, which appears in the draft state budget for 2025, would require riders to submit their personal information, including their identity card numbers (NIK), to purchase travel cards for the Commuter Line. Operators would then impose different prices based on the passenger’s income.
The government's plan to charge Greater Jakarta Commuter Line passengers based on their respective income levels has triggered widespread public criticism.
The plan, which appears in the draft state budget for 2025, would require riders to submit their personal information, including their identity card numbers (NIK), to purchase travel cards for the Commuter Line.
Operators would then impose different prices based on the passenger’s income.
The Transportation Ministry's railways director general, Risal Wasal, said authorities were in the process of discussing the policy with stakeholders.
"We will introduce the new fare scheme gradually, and we are currently discussing it with experts and community representatives to make sure that the proposed fare will not be a burden for commuters," he said on Thursday, as reported by Antara.
The proposal quickly sparked backlash from commuters, who argued that the government should increase public transportation subsidies instead to solve Jakarta's perennial congestion and air pollution issues.
They also questioned the government's reasoning for the policy, with many noting that authorities had been allocating trillions of rupiah to subsidize the purchase of electric vehicles.
Currently, Commuter Line passengers, regardless of income, must pay Rp 3,000 (19 US cents) for the first 25 kilometers of their trip and an additional Rp 1,000 for every 10 km thereafter, with the fare capped at Rp 13,000.
The government has been touting the plan to raise commuter train fares since 2022, roughly six years after it increased the fee for the first 25 km from Rp 2,000 to Rp 3,000 in the first, and so far only, fare hike.
Early last year, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the government was seeking to discontinue subsidies for middle- to upper-income passengers, in an effort to reduce the burden on the state budget.
This would have meant that such passengers would pay the full price of between Rp 10,000 and Rp 15,000 for each trip.
Workers in Greater Jakarta rely heavily on the Commuter Line to travel to and from their offices, with the service recording some 290 million passengers last year.
The Jakarta Post
Asia News Network
Photo - Courtesy of Wendra Ajistyatama
