Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Development Plan by the Ministry of Transportation in Bali. Will Fate The Same With Tranns Sarbagita Bus?

The Central Government, through the Ministry of Transportation, has launched a mass rapid transit (BRT) based public transportation service in 2020 in several cities in Indonesia, including Bali. Almost the same as the Trans Sarbagita Bus that has been operated. The only difference is the operating scheme. If the Trans Sarbagita fleet is owned by the government, and the operator is also directly the government, the BRT fleet and the operator are third party or private. The central government only prepares regulations, routes, and service cost subsidies (buy the service / BTS).

Ministry of Transportation plans to have four route lines in the Sarbagita Region. Ngurah Rai Airport-GOR Route (via Central Kuta Parking, Tegal Terminal); Central  Parking Kuta-Mengwi Terminal (via Imam Bonjol-Teuku Umar-Buluh Indah-Ubung Terminal); Sanur-Puspem Badung route (via Teuku Umar-Kerobokan-Dalung; and Batubulan-Ubung Terminal Route (via Gatsu-Dalung). These routes look new and are different from the Trans Sarbagita Bus route design with 17 corridors.

Will the new program suffer the same fate as Trans Sarbagita, which is devoid of interest?\

This is what we are worried about. Learning from previous experience that by only providing and operating buses in the current traffic conditions of the corridors of the road sections, there is little chance of the transfer of modes of use from private vehicles to public transportation. Before it is implemented, it should be ascertained first what the needs of community movement, culture / habits of the community, patterns of community movement and what advantages can be provided by public transportation compared to using private vehicles, especially motorbikes. The main competitor of public transportation is motorcycle.

Is the BTS scheme based on the BTS scheme something new?

This public transportation service plan is not quite fitting called the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). One of BRT's prerequisites is a dedicated lane, so that the journey can be fast and not be hampered by other vehicles on the road. From the planning concept, the service is still like a regular bus. The Buy The Service (BTS) scheme or service purchase is certainly no longer new and has been implemented for the Trans Sarbagita Bus service. School transportation which is operated in several districts in Bali also uses this BTS concept.

Will it be the same fate as Trans Sarbagita?

The first thing that needs to be answered is what advantages can be given when compared to using private vehicles (especially motorbikes). If no advantages are given, then how can we expect the community to switch to public transportation? Of course there will be passengers who use it but more are captive riders rather than choice riders, namely people who are dependent on public transportation because they have no choice.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of this new project?

The strength of this project, among others, needs to be appreciated is the willingness of the central government to provide public transport services which, if calculated in a financially viable manner, are not profitable. This is in line with the mandate of Article 139 of Law No. 22 of 2009 concerning Traffic and Road Transportation which states that the government is obliged to guarantee the availability of public transportation according to its authority. Another plus is the plan to use a smart card (smart card). The weaknesses of this project include that the service system still looks like a regular bus service and has not yet led to the BRT, there is no readiness of the regencies / cities related to support with feeder transport services, inter-route connectivity already exists but cannot serve all directions of movement, development of pedestrian facilities and cycling is needed to be integrated with bus services, the concept of providing park and ride facilities is not yet apparent, and it is not clear which traffic management scheme will be implemented to support this bus service. In general, assistance from the central government is only as a stimulant to revive public transport services. Furthermore, it is hoped that regional governments will actively participate. The project period is planned for 5 years (multi years project). It needs to be anticipated from the beginning, what is the next step after that.

Of the four routes, is that enough? Or do we need to develop more routes?

To serve the movement of the people, especially in the urban areas of Sarbagita, of course four routes are still inadequate. The route network should ideally serve all the needs of the community movement according to their origin. How in the future so that people do not depend on the use of private vehicles and can go anywhere with public transportation. The concept of the developed network route is radial, so it needs also to develop its concentric network, which may be expected to be provided by the local government through the development of its feeder route network.

What role can the provincial government, municipal government and district government take in this new public transportation project?

In accordance with the mandate of Law No. 22 of 2009, the government is obliged to guarantee the availability of public transportation in accordance with its authority. So the regional government needs to think about developing a network of routes to support the public transport network that will be developed by the Ministry of Transportation according to its authority. The project from the central government is only as a stimulant and it is hoped that in the future the regional government will have the initiative to re-empower the public transport system which is currently in a very bad condition. The regional government is also expected to show its support for this project, among others through intensive socialization, helping provide various facilities needed such as bus stops, park and ride, pedestrian or cycling facilities that are integrated with public transport services, as well as the implementation of various traffic management schemes.