Traffic has become a characteristic of Jakarta. If you are coming to Jakarta for the first time (or even Jakartans who have been living here for some time), to make your way around the city can be a tiresome task. Driving private vehicles seem to waste more time on the road due regular traffic jams. Walking on the footpaths is also not a brilliant idea because roadsides in Jakarta arenโt safe for pedestrians (maybe some roadsides are, but most of the roadsides are packed with street hawkers or even motorcycles!).
As a capital city, Jakarta also provides many public transportation options that connect almost all areas at affordable prices. Yes, some are packed but using public transportation is more efficient than riding or driving your own vehicles.
Ride Hailing Services – GoJek, GoCar
These days, most people usually resort to using GoJek and GrabBike mobile applications for their daily transportation. Finding transport has becomes much easier by using these apps. It provides information about the driver, fares, and how long your driver will arrive to pick you up. The price varies depending on how many kilometers you are travelling, as much as 9,000 IDR for short rides under 2 km. Since Gojek uses motorcycle, it also moves faster in traffic, and sometimes the drivers also know the shortcuts to reach your destination.
TransJakarta/Busway
TransJakarta is a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in Jakarta. The buses run in dedicated lanes so it is free from traffic jam most of the time (unless on several corridors where lanes are also used by private vehicles). It is also very cheap, only Rp2.000 (from 5am to 7am) and Rp3.500 for single trip on regular hours. TransJakarta system has e-tickets issued by several local banks. You can get these e-tickets at every TransJakarta shelters, banks (Mandiri, BCA, BRI, BNI, Bank DKI), and merchants such as minimarkets, supermarkets, and gas stations. The price of each card is around Rp40.000, including Rp20.000 balance. These cards also can be used for Commuter Line and toll road (only Mandiri e-money).
Since the first commencement in 2014, 15 corridors have been planned with 12 corridors currently operating. Click Here for the route map of TransJakarta.
Mass Rapid Transportation (MRT)
The MRT is one of Jakarta’s biggest infrastructure developments that has also been long-awaited in the city. Although it has helped many people even during its opening in March 2019, construction is still undergoing for more routes to other locations. For now, Jakarta MRT has a NorthโSouth line between Kota and Lebak Bulus and an EastโWest line. It takes 30 minutes to reach one end to the other with the price ranging Rp 4,000 for each stop Rp 14,000. There are many ways to pay for the fare from single trip ticket (one way ticket), multi-trip ticket (multiple use card), Jaklingko (card for various transportations from TransJakarta, MikroTrans and MRT), Bank Electronic Cards (Flazz, Jakcard, Tapcash, e-money, Brizzi) or via the MRT app (Dana, Linkaja, Ovo, Gopay). Click here for the MRT map.
KAI Commuter Jabodetabek
KA Commuter Jabodetabek (or more commonly known as Commuterline) is a commuter rail system within Jakarta. KA (Kereta Api or train) Commuter serves commuters in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, South Tangerang, and Bekasi. The trains used for Commuterline are all air-conditioned, clean, and some have female-only carriages as well. The ticket price for the first 25 kilometers is Rp2.000 and Rp1.000 for the next 10 kilometers. You can deposit Rp10.000 to the counter and you will get an electronic card that you can return on the same day to get your balance back. For simpler use, it is recommended to have e-ticket cards (same card for TransJakarta).
Since the modernization project in 2011, the system has 7 integrated commuter lines which serve Greater Jakarta.
| Line | Route | Station Served |
|---|---|---|
| ย Jakarta โ Bogor | Jakarta Kota to Depok/Bogor | ย 25 |
| ย Jakarta Loopline | Jatinegara to Depok/Bogor | ย 30 |
| Duri to Nambo | ย 20 | |
| Jakarta โ South Tangerang | Tanah Abang to Serpong/Parung Panjang/Maja | ย 19 |
| ย Jakarta โ Bekasi | ย Jakarta Kota to Bekasi | ย 18 |
| ย Jakarta โ Tangerang | Duri to Tangerang | ย 9 |
| ย Tanjung Priok line | Jakarta Kota to Tanjung Priok | ย 3 |
Complete route and stations served :
Buses
There are a number of private operators such as Mayasari Bakti, Jasa Utama, Kopaja, Metromini, etc. Information for these is harder to get and there is no timetable either. Buses with โACโ sticker on it indicate that the buses are air-conditioned, but some are not. Each bus has number on it that indicates the route it serves. These buses do not always stop at bus stops, they stop practically everywhere they find people stop them.
Numbers and routes served by these buses can be found on here and here.
Taxis
Taxis are cheap, plentiful and provide good service. It has been expatriates and foreign touristsโ favorite public transportation for commuting in Jakarta. It is relatively more expensive than other modes, but is more comfortable and safe. However, using a taxi may not save you from traffic jams. The basic fare is Rp7.500 and Rp4.000 per kilometer.
There are many taxi companies operating in Jakarta. Blue Bird Group (Blue Bird, Pusaka, Silver Bird) has the best reputation so far. Other trusted taxi companies are Express Group, Taxiku, Gamya, Trans Cab, and White Horse. To order these taxis you can simply hail the taxi on the street, order by phone, or install taxi reservation mobile apps on your phone.
| Taxi company | Phone number |
|---|---|
| Blue Bird, Pusaka | 021-79171234/ 021-7981234 |
| Silver Bird | 021-7981234 |
| Express | 021-1500122 |
| Gamya | 021-87795555/ 021-8403838 |
| Taxiku | 021-47862121/021-30032121 |
| Trans Cab | 021-65553333 |
| White Horse | 085100551445 / 081318555578 (Whatsapp) |
Shuttle Bus
Many developments in Jakarta have their own shuttle bus network. Some are cheap; some needs ticket to ride the buses. Lippo Malls, Summarecon, Sinarmas Trans-BSD usually provide the information about the shuttle bus in the malls themselves. If you live in that area and need to get to or from Jakarta, these shuttle services are good options.
Epicentrum Complex at Kuningan, South Jakarta also provides shuttle buses that can drop you at several spots at Epicentrum area such as Epicentrum Mall, ANTV Complex, Plaza Festival, and several towers of Rasuna Apartment. There is no timetable but normally the bus arrives every 15-20 minutes.
Bajaj
Bajaj auto rickshaw provide local transportation in the back streets of some parts of the city, since it is small in size. But this transportation is not ideal to be used everywhere, as some roads ban the bajaj from travelling over there. It is colored blue (for bajajs that use Compressed natural gas) and orange (for bajajs which use normal gasoline fuel), though both give the same prices. You will have to be good at haggling, because bajaj drivers usually give higher prices for the first offer and will probably lower it after some haggling. The government is currently replacing the orange bajajs with the blue ones because blue bajajs are less polluting and the gas fuel is cheaper.
Mikrolet/Angkot
Mikrolet or Angkot are just like busโwith numbers and routes, but use minivan that can accommodate up to 10 passengers. These minivans also have different colors to indicate the routes. Sadly, just like buses, there is no timetable. These minivans have no air conditioned, and they will ngetem or wait for a very long time until the vans are full to start the trip.
Fare info is usually stuck to the door (which is always opened during the trip) and usually wonโt cost more than Rp7.000 for single trip. Some information about number and routes can be found here.
Car-booking Apps
Other than those mentioned above, another transportation mode you can use is GrabCar. It is provided by GrabTaxi which is also operating GrabBike. Else, you can choose GoCar which works the same as Grabcar. Not like regular taxi payments, GrabCar and GoCar charges the passengers with flat rate. It means that how bad the traffic jam may be, you only need to pay the amount displayed on the apps when you ordered the car. The basic fare is Rp10.000, and I personally tested that it is way more efficient than taxis.
Soekarno-Hatta Airport Train
For those who are looking to go straight to the airport can use the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Train. Departing from Sudirman Baru (BNI City) and Batu Ceper to the airports for 54 minutes, each ticket costs Rp 70,000. While riding the train, passengers can enjoy facilities like reclining seats with LCD monitors, baggage racks and toilets. All ticket transactions for the train are cashless, so youโll have to buy them either using debit or credit cards at the ticket machines or online through the Railink mobil app.
