Transportation in Indonesia

 

Indonesia is one of developing countries in the world. Even so, the level of consumption of Indonesian society is quite high. The need for high mobility makes the volume of vehicles is increasing every year. With limited infrastructure, congestion is an everyday problem in big cities in Indonesia. According to BPS, growth of motor vehicles in Indonesia increased from 19 million in 2000 to 104 million in 2013.

 

Unsustainable Transport in Indonesia

 

With the rapid growth of vehicles, the transportation system in Indonesia can't be said to be sustainable. Almost all motor vehicles in Indonesia are still using petroleum as a source of energy. While vehicles with renewable energy still being developed and has not been mass-produced. It became one proof of how Indonesia is still dependent on oil as an energy source.

 

But on the other hand, the Indonesian government also supports how sustainable transport implemented in Indonesia. An example is the construction of the MRT (mass rapid transport) in Jakarta that aims to break the congestion that occurs. In addition, the side effect of the MRT is to reduce pollution from motor vehicle congestion in the capital city of Indonesia. MRT as a sustainable transport became one of Indonesia's expectations towards a sustainable transport system.

 

To reduce the impact on the environment, the policy may also a powerful tool. Indonesia since 2007 has implemented Euro2 emission standards for vehicles. It is still far behind the other countries, which EU has implemented emission standards Euro6 since 2014. In 2013, the Indonesian government has implemented Euro3 for motor vehicle with 2 wheels. However, in practice is still considered less effective. Vice president of Indonesia, Jusuf Kalla, in his speech at the opening of Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS) 2016 (11/8) asked the Minister of Industry to review and implement Euro4 in Indonesia.

 

It has also been supported by the presence of one type of fuel being PERTAMINA?s products, as a distributor of vehicle fuel in Indonesia, since 2015. Pertalite has an octane rating of 90, which is promoted as a fuel that is more environmental and engine friendly, in comparison of Premium. Premium is the fuel which mostly consumed by people of Indonesia and only has an octane rating of 88. The slight price differences is making a lot of Indonesian people began to move into this product.

 

Policies must be accompanied by supporting infrastructures to make people start to move towards more environmental-friendly. Indonesia's journey to the country with sustainable transport is still long. But the government and the public began to open their eyes to how the environment has also become an aspect that must be considered in everyday life.

 

Source: detik.com, gaikindo.or.id, tempo.co, bps.go.id