Minister of Transportation (Menhub) of the Republic of Indonesia, Budi Karya Sumadi, emphasized the importance of pentahelix collaboration to create a reliable land transportation sector. “This initiative will produce policies, incentives, and strategic infrastructure that support the progress of the transportation sector,” he said at the Sistem Transportasi Darat Terintegrasi, Cerdas, dan Berkelanjutan (Integrated, Intelligent, and Sustainable Land Transportation System) seminar at Balai Sidang of Universitas Indonesia (UI) on Thursday, October 10.
He appreciated the input from UI academics in strategic studies to support the transportation sector in Indonesia. The Minister of Transportation said that the challenges of land transportation in the future will be increasingly complex. In urban areas, limited mass transportation has hampered economic growth. “However, the Ministry of Transportation consistently carries out the President’s direction in the development of transportation infrastructure to connect the Tertinggal, Terluar, Terpencil, dan Perbatasan (Underdeveloped, Outermost, Remote, and Border areas), or 3TP, Destinasi Pariwisata Super Prioritas (Super Priority Tourism Destinations), or DPSP, Kawasan Industri (Industrial Areas), or KI, and Kawasan Ekonomi Khusus (Special Economic Zones), or KEK,” said the Minister of Transportation at the seminar held by the School of Strategic and Global Studies (SKSG) UI.
UI Rector, Prof. Ari Kuncoro, S.E., M.A., Ph.D also emphasized UI’s commitment to the transportation system in Indonesia. “In this sector, we strive to provide constructive recommendations for the Ministry of Transportation, ensuring that transportation development is based on community welfare, environmental sustainability and increasing Indonesia’s competitiveness in the global arena,” said Prof. Ari.
In the seminar, the SKSG UI Research Team presented the results of a strategic study on the achievements of Indonesia’s land transportation sector during 2015-2023. This study maps strategic issues, namely National Development and Land Transportation, Connectivity, Mobility, Accessibility, and Integration, Land Transportation Safety, Service Quality, Implementation of Intelligent Transportation Innovation, and Impact on the Environment.
The Director of SKSG UI, as the Head of the Research Team, Athor Subroto, Ph.D., said that land transportation had had a positive impact on the increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with an average percentage of 2.28% over the past 9 years. “This study shows that land transportation has contributed positively to development in Indonesia, especially in the economic sector,” said Athor.
Over the past decade, 128 type A terminals and 229 ferry ports have been built or renovated throughout Indonesia. Through innovative services such as Buy The Service (BTS), the number of passengers has increased by 146.94% from 2021 to 2023, and the free homecoming program has also seen a surge in beneficiaries from 24,695 passengers in 2023 to 40,088 in 2024.
Although it has recorded much progress, the UI Team also identified several challenges that still need to be overcome, namely the level of congestion reaching 48%, the low urban On Time Performance (OTP) at 33.65% in 2023, the emission trend increasing in the last 20 years, and driving safety needs to be improved, as well as the implementation of the Intelligent Transport System is considered not yet running optimally.
To overcome these challenges, the UI Team recommends an integrated, intelligent, and sustainable land transportation system in Indonesia. Among them are the formation of an omnibus law, increasing public participation, and collaboration with academics. Transportation agencies also need to adopt Mobility as a Service (MaaS) services in metropolitan areas to integrate various modes of transportation and the use of intelligent technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve efficiency and safety and reduce emissions.
The achievements of the Ministry of Transportation in the development of land transportation infrastructure during the 2015-2024 period, as many as 157 infrastructure projects were successfully realized, including the construction of 6 type A terminals, 44 modern ferry ports, and 12 new ports. In addition, as many as 53 type A terminals and 54 ferry ports have been rehabilitated and revitalized. This effort also includes the development of mass transportation systems in six metropolitan cities.
Also in attendance were the Minister of National Development Planning of Bappenas RI 2016-2019, Prof. Bambang Brodjonegoro, Director General of Land Transportation Risyapudin Nursin, academics from the University of Tokyo, Japan, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinesh Manandhar, and Professors of Universitas Indonesia, Prof. Ir. Gunawan Tjahjono and Prof. Dr. Ir. Dr. Sutanto Soehodho.
