Jakarta plans public transport expansion to boats and aircraft

Jakarta legislators questioned the cost of expanding public bus operator TransJakarta into sea and air transport at an October 7 plenary session of the Jakarta Legislative Council.

Governor Pramono Anung wants the operator to add boat services and eventually flights.

Several parties questioned whether TransJakarta should move beyond buses.

Council member Francine Widjojo said: “The public should not have to pay for this expansion through higher fares or reduced services within the city.”

The proposed regulatory changes would widen TransJakarta’s remit to include sea and air transport and increase its authorised capital to 13.4 trillion rupiah from 5.225 trillion rupiah.

Jakarta’s provincial administration puts TransJakarta’s passenger journeys at 329.2 million for the first nine months of 2026 and projects 438.5 million for the year.

Operating since 2004, the extensive bus network charges a standard 3,500 rupiah, or 25 Singapore cents.

Sheila, a 28-year-old marketing executive and commuter, was sceptical about helicopter capacity and fares.

“It would certainly be a glamorous way to get to work. But how many passengers can a helicopter carry, and how much would a ticket cost? Surely, it cannot be the same cheap fare we pay for a TransJakarta bus ride,” she said.

Private helicopter prices already exceed ordinary bus fares.

Whitesky Aviation chief commercial officer Ari Nurwanda told local news website Detikcom in August 2025 that smaller helicopters cost from about 32 million rupiah per hour.

Whitesky offers charters and city transfers.

Deddy Herlambang, a transport expert and senior researcher at Strategic Transport Initiatives, rejected helicopters as a financially sensible mass transport option.

“It makes no sense to use helicopters as mass public transport, like public minibuses, because large helicopters are extremely expensive,” Deddy told The Straits Times.

Deddy favoured extending road coverage with vehicles outside the dedicated bus rapid transit (BRT) lanes.

“The money would be better spent purchasing more TransJakarta non-BRT buses,” he said, referring to buses using ordinary roads beyond the main corridors.

Caroline Riady, chief executive of Siloam Hospitals, featured in a viral February 2025 video boarding a helicopter at a rooftop helipad.

Caroline told local newspaper Kompas that she rarely travelled this way and that the aircraft mainly transported emergency patients.

Her home and workplace in Karawaci, on Jakarta’s outskirts, are five minutes apart.

Pramono cited Jakarta’s 11 million residents and the wider metropolitan area’s 42 million when discussing air transport with reporters on October 4.

“It is inconceivable for a metropolitan area of this size not to have air transport,” the governor said.

Pramono wants rules and permits in place before Jakarta needs air services, citing New York’s existing regulation after a recent visit.

Helicopters were one option the governor mentioned for the medium- to long-term plans, although the aircraft type remains unspecified.

Electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) are being developed for short-distance passenger services as aviation authorities across the Asia-Pacific prepare for electric flying taxis.

Jakarta has not announced plans to use these aircraft.

Indonesia and Singapore were among 24 Asia-Pacific states and administrations whose civil aviation authorities jointly produced reference materials in July 2025 for regulating commercial air-taxi and drone operations.

Aisah, a 38-year-old administrative worker in Jakarta, drew encouragement from the city’s mass rapid transit (MRT) system. “If you had asked me 10 years ago, I would have said it was impossible. But now we have the MRT, so nothing seems impossible. TransJakarta already has an efficient bus network, so expanding its services to the air and sea could be a good next step,” she told The Straits Times.

The prospect of less rushing at peak times appealed to Aisah: “No more rushing during peak hours? That would be wow.”

Doddy, 45, sells gorengan, or fried snacks, beside Jakarta’s crawling traffic at a roadside stall.

A helicopter ride seems unlikely to him any time soon.

“I do not think someone like me would ever get the chance to ride in a helicopter,” he said, laughing.

“Maybe the only things of mine that will ever fly are my fried banana and tapioca – as an in-flight snack!”

Seeing Jakarta from above still excited Doddy, who laughed at the prospect.

“Of course, I would love to see Jakarta from above. Everyone down below will look like tiny ants, right?” he told The Straits Times.

“My heart might just stop from the excitement.”

TransJakarta is due to take over public boat services to the Thousand Islands off Jakarta’s northern coast by June 2027.

Easier island travel should benefit local businesses and tourism, according to the operator, while the city is considering a subsidiary to run the vessels.

Deddy believes Jakarta’s regional budget could support the sea transport expansion, with subsidies needed to keep fares low.

He suggested 25,000 to 50,000 rupiah as an affordable range for passengers.

Pramono believes TransJakarta could operate boats more efficiently and cheaply.

“Fares will certainly be cheaper if the services are managed professionally, as TransJakarta is doing now,” the governor said.

TransJakarta president director Welfizon Yuza and Jakarta transport officials assessed the ferry fleet and piers during an August 22 visit to the Thousand Islands ahead of the takeover.

An August 23 TransJakarta statement conveyed Welfizon’s commitment to island residents. “We fully understand the high expectations of the people of the Thousand Islands. This directive from the Governor is a responsibility entrusted to us to bridge the distance and ensure equal rights for all Jakarta residents,” he said.

Source: The Straits Times