A hundred of electric buses will soon be operated by the Provincial Government of DKI Jakarta’s Department of Transportation to combat the capital’s deteriorating air quality owing to pollution. Using electric buses is an endeavour to promote the usage of electric vehicles, according to the DKI Jakarta’s Department of Transportation. It follows that Jakarta’s air quality should be better managed.
The Director of the DKI Jakarta’s Provincial Transportation Agency, Syafrin Liputo, stated at a press conference that was held at the Office of the Director General of Pollution Control and Environmental Damage, Jakarta, on Friday, the 11th of August 2023, “PT Transjakarta will operate up to 100 electric buses this year to encourage electrification in public transportation services.”
Apart from public transit, Liputo encourages people, particularly in DKI Jakarta, to switch to electric vehicles for their daily transportation. This is because motorised cars are one of the factors contributing to Jakarta’s worsening air quality.
“We are advocating for electrification in public transport and motorised vehicles. With a BBNKB (Motorised Vehicle Transfer Fee) of IDR 0, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has now provided incentives for people who buy electric motorised vehicles,” stated Liputo.
Several studies have shown that electric buses outperform motorised vehicles in terms of lowering air pollution emissions. According to one 2013 research, electric cars excel in reducing carbon emissions by roughly 80%.
According to a research by the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), if large electric cars are utilised, the average carbon output per km will drop by 25%, to 188 grammes of CO2 per kilometre from 252 grammes of CO2.
To encourage people to be more active on foot, Liputo stated at the same event that the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government will also build more pavements and bicycle lanes. As a result, fewer motorised cars will be used, and environmental issues may be fixed.
“We also urge residents to move around more actively. Massive sidewalk construction is taking place, and all of Jakarta’s public transit systems have bicycle lanes built in,” according to Syafrin.
Recently, the air quality in DKI Jakarta and its surroundings has been worsening. Jakarta once occupied the first place as the city with the most polluted air in the world, with a record AQI value of 156 on Thursday, the 10th of August, 2023, in which this movement to utilised more electric buses would help to improve the air quality in Jakarta.
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