Modern Transportation in Palembang City

The integrated transportation-mode system was needed to build people’s culture to use public transport.

KOMPAS/RHAMA PURNA JATI

A number of light rail transit feeder units for Palembang, South Sumatra parked in the Talang Kelapa area, Monday (26/12/2022). This transportation became the beginning of changes in mass transportation in Palembang.

The public transportation system in Palembang, South Sumatra, is one of the most complete in Sumatra. The light-rail transit (LRT) is a symbol of modern transportation that serves Palembang residents.

Ratika (36) waited at the Trans Musi bus stop on Jl. Soekarno-Hatta, Palembang, on Monday (26/12/2022). She wanted to go back to her house in the Talang Kelapa area, which is about 5 kilometers from the bus stop.

After waiting for 10 minutes, the feeder bus she was waiting for arrived. As soon as she sat down, she took out her mobile phone and paid the fare using the Quick Response Code Indonesia Standard (QRIS) matrix code in front of the passenger seat. "Already, sir," said Ratika, who was answered by Abdi Hasibuan, the feeder bus driver, nodding.

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Ratika has been a regular customer since the feeder bus was first operated in July 2022. As the fare is only Rp 4,000 (US$0.26) per passenger, she prefers taking the feeder bus, rather than an app-based motorcycle taxi, which costs her Rp 15,000 one way.

"Compared to regular public transportation, the feeder buses are much more comfortable because they are equipped with air conditioning and CCTV. Passenger capacity is limited to 8-9 people. The most important thing: they don’t wait for a long time in the bus stop,” said Ratika.

Wildan (62), a retired civil servant (ASN) shared a similar experience. He said such a public-transportation mode was an example of modern city transportation. "This transportation is quite friendly for elderly people like me," said Wildan. Moreover, for senior citizens (elderly) and students, this transportation is free of charge.

The most important thing: they don’t wait for a long time in the bus stop.

Wildan said the bus feeder service gave time certainty so that passengers could depart and go home on time. In addition, the feeder bus also reaches the people's residential area. However, the available routes are still limited to seven corridors and have not yet covered the entire city of Palembang, Widan said.

The Feeder Bus Operation Supervisor in Corridor 1 route Talang Kelapa Talang Burk via Hajj Dormitory from PT Surveyor Indonesia, Andrey Saputra, said that his company must ensure that all fleets departed and arrived on time so that the average interval of time between vehicles (headway) could be maintained at about 8-12 minutes.

KOMPAS/RHAMA PURNA JATI

A passenger for the light rail transit feeder for Palembang, South Sumatra, is making digital payments, Monday (26/12/2022)..

"All schedules have been recorded. For Corridor 1, for example, the first departure starts at 5:00 a.m. and ends at 7:38 p.m.," said Andrey. For this corridor, said Andrey, there are 10 units of feeder bus transportation. The bus will travel along a 22-kilometer route stopping at 40 stops, including stops that are directly connected to the LRT station.

The Director of Road Transportation at the Transportation Ministry, Suharto said the availability of feeder buses to support the occupancy of the Palembang LRT service was still limited. That is why, together with relevant stakeholders, including academics, his office is rearranging the routes so that public transportation in Palembang is oriented toward the LRT.

A survey conducted recently shows that there are 17 corridors that can be used to support the LRT service. The 17 corridors can reach every location in Palembang, especially in the business center and also residential areas. Until now, only seven corridors are operating. The rest will be operated in stages depending on the availability of funds and community needs.

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The existence of feeder transport, said Suharto, was considered capable of boosting LRT occupancy by up to 29 percent. Before the feeder transport was operated, the average number of daily passengers amounted to 7,239 people. After the feeder buses were operated, from July-November 2022, the average daily passengers increased to 9,363 people. The occupancy rate of Palembang LRT passengers also continues to increase. As of November 6, 2022, the number of Palembang LRT passengers has amounted to 2.4 million people, up 56 percent from 2021, when they totaled 1.5 million passengers. Suharto said that these five new corridors had been prepared since November 2022 together with stakeholders, especially local governments and academics.

Joining bus operators

The chairman of the South Sumatra Land Transport Organization (Organda) Ismail Hamid said he hoped that feeder buses could team up with public-bus companies that were still operating. "Such kind of cooperation is needed to that the presence of feeder buses does not kill public buses that have been operating earlier," he said.

According to him, this cooperation can also help speed up the process of meeting fleet needs so that all 17 corridors can be operated. "With this integration, it is hoped that the public-transportation system in Palembang will be much better," he said.

The policy of eliminating feeder-bus fares is quite effective in increasing people's interest in using public transportation.

The head of the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) of South Sumatra, Erika Buchari, said that this integrated transportation-mode system was needed to build people’s culture to use public transport.

“It takes about 21 days for each person to form a new habit. The policy of eliminating feeder-bus fares is quite effective in increasing people's interest in using public transportation," said Erika.

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.