How Jakarta built the world's largest BRT system

For years, Jakarta was known as a traffic-choked metropolis with some of the worst gridlock in the world. But, reports Nithin Coca in an article for In Development, the last ten years have seen the Indonesian capital transform its transit system into the largest and most used transit systems in the world.

"The old, crowded diesel commuter trains, famous for allowing passengers to ride on the roofs, are now electrified, air conditioned, and run on regular schedules linking the suburbs to the city center. There are multiple subway and light rail lines crisscrossing the city." In 2015, less than 20% of residents lived within walking distance to transit. Now, close to 90% of the city has access to bus rapid transit or trains.

How did it happen? In 2014, new Indonesia president Joko Widodo began taking steps to improve Jakarta's transit system. "To him, addressing Jakarta’s congestion was central to making it a world class capital city, and foreign investment, via development loans and technology transfer, would be key." The country signed an agreement with Japan to build mass rapid transit. "For the most part, the MRT was built underground or alongside existing large thoroughfares, minimizing the need for expensive land acquisition. When land was needed, the project used international standards to determine fair compensation and ensure fair process."

The first line opened in 2019, and work continued. All of the new transit lines are part of an integrated digital fare system. As of 2024, 10% of trips in greater Jakarta are made by transit, as compared to just 2% in 2015. However, because of Jakarta's rapid population growth, there are still more cars in the region now than in 2019, and air pollution has worsened. Experts suggest that officials should create low emission zones with congestion pricing to help reduce the number of cars in the city.