Overcrowded buses in Jakarta

YOGYAKARTA, 11 July 2008 - Overloaded they are and it is not just only on 'Halte Harmoni' where the situation is not really clear. There are even bigger exchange stops. One of the largest might just be 'Halte Senen', a little more to the north. This stop is situated directly at one of the corners of a busy intersection, directly under a fly-over. This is also the meeting point of a number of routes and transferring here is made difficult by hundreds of people that are finding their way here. That is not the only thing however what makes it a mess here.

Across the street however, only to be reached by a long pedestrian bridge, is another platform for one of the routes that only stops there. Since there is no clear indication on how to get to and from there with the exception of some hand-written notices on paper, most people just ask around about where they should go next to catch the right bus. A quick hint to the correct line is often enough, but it is far from clear how everything works.

A bus on the blue line waiting for passengers to board at the Harmoni stop in northern Jakarta. This bus runs on gas, like many of the TransJakarta buses nowadays. © indahnesia.com

The waiting lines here are somewhat more clear; some form of waiting bridges towards the streets. Both streams of passengers in fact have their own bridges, but this would not be Indonesia if it didn't work like it should. Because of the big number of buses that has to stop here and the fact that one of the biggest intersections of the city has to stay clear of a row of waiting buses it is not always possible to stop at the correct door to load and unload the passengers.

At those moments passengers from the bus are forced to use the waiting bridge full with people who are about to board the bus. Of course such a thing is almost impossible with people trying to push in the opposite direction. But with some willpower and a push back every few meters it is possible to get out again, but I don't want to think about young children, pregnant women and elderly. Any support other than pointing with a finger in the - probably - right direction is not to be expected here, it's just too crowded for that.

Another transit-stations like the one on Jalan Sudirman, in the heart of the business district in the capital, also cause problems when flows of people leave their glass-covered buildings to find a way home. Because there is very little space in the city, stops here are more narrow than for example 'Halte Harmoni'. A complicated system of pedestrian bridges that are usually just one and a half meter wide, scattered platforms and dangerous stairs however make it possible to use the already fully occupied piece of city as a bus stop as well.

One pedestrian bridge that connects a remote platform with the central platforms of the Senen bus stop and transit point directly under the fly-over. © indahnesia.com

It is not uncommon that someone missteps and ends up with their ass on the worn down sheets of steel which are used as flooring. When new, the sheets were safe enough with their anti-slip strips, but in just a few years that has completely worn down to a flat sheet. Many of the permanent connection points have come loose as well, so gaps appear in between sheets and on edges of stairs. People trip easily over them. And then there are those monsoon rains as well which normally lash Jakarta for about six months a year.

The 'Busway' is a little success story indeed, but maintenance is not the strongest point. Replacing the sheets of flooring on platforms and bridges, or at least attaching them in a proper way, will improve safety quite a bit already. Furthermore the recently ordered 400 new buses will most likely also ease the waiting times and the indecent way of acting of the average Indonesian in crowds within the coming months. Less people waiting makes it more safe obviously. No elbows in your neck and kicks in the but so you won't find yourself stuck in between the bus an the platform, where there usually is quite a gap.