Difficulty in meeting toll road Minimum Service Standards
This article has been translated by PwC Indonesia as part of our Indonesia Infrastructure News Service. PwC Indonesia has not checked the accuracy of, and accepts no responsibility for the content.
Investor Daily - Sulitnya memenuhi SPM jalan tol
21 February 2025
By Heru Febrianto
The House of Representatives (DPR) believes that the Minimum Service Standards (MSS) of toll roads in Indonesia are still suboptimal. This is evident from the recent increase in traffic accidents with casualties on toll roads.
DPR Commission V Chair Lasarus revealed that the biennial increase in toll road tariffs is not accompanied by improvements in toll road quality. He criticised the current suboptimal condition of toll roads.
“When tariffs increase, the people have no bargaining power,” Lasarus said at a hearing of DPR Commission V with the Highways Director General of the Public Works Ministry at the Nusantara Building of DPR in Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday (19/2/2025).
He highlighted that nine out of ten accidents on toll roads are caused by the failure of Toll Road Business Enterprises (BUJTs) to meet the Minimum Service Standards (MSS). Additionally, accidents frequently occur on certain routes.
According to him, the MSS of toll roads are a right of the people, as the development of toll roads utilises the State Budget (APBN) in addition to private investments.
"As the people's representatives, we must advocate for the people. They also contribute to the development of toll roads," he continued.
Lasarus emphasised that DPR Commission V will address the failure to meet the MSS of toll roads with relevant parties at a follow-up meeting.
"I have confirmed that the next meeting will focus on the Highways Director General, the Toll Road Regulator Agency (BPJT), and BUJTs, or even relevant associations," explained the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle politician.
He hopes the discussion will uncover why the government struggles to provide the MSS of toll roads. Moreover, according to him, all necessary regulations are already in place.
"However, does the Public Works Ministry have the goodwill to enforce the applicable regulations? In the past, toll road tariffs had to be consulted with the DPR, but the government insisted on skipping this part in the revision from Law Number 38 of 2004 on Roads to Law Number 2 of 2022 on Roads," he added.
ODOL becomes an excuse
During the occasion, the Highways Director General of the Public Works Ministry, Roy Rizali Anwar, revealed that one of the challenges faced by BUJTs in meeting the MSS of toll roads is the presence of ODOL vehicles.
"One of the challenges faced by BUJTs in meeting the MSS of toll roads is the presence of ODOL vehicles," Roy said, as cited by Antara.
Based on the weigh-in-motion (WIM) data from several toll segments, including the Jakarta Outer Ring Road (JORR) Jakarta-Tangerang segment section E, JORR W1, Jagorawi, Padalarang, Cileunyi, Semarang ABC, Ngawi-Kertosono, and Surabaya-Gempol, 19.27% of Category II vehicles and above are ODOL vehicles. Meanwhile, data from the joint ODOL operation shows that 36% of the vehicles caught are ODOL vehicles.
Users favour ODOL vehicles due to economic needs and operational efficiency, lack of supervision and legal enforcement, extra modifications for additional benefits, lack of awareness among drivers and businesses, competition in the logistics sector, limited logistics infrastructure, and lack of alternative transportation.
"The impacts of ODOL vehicles on toll roads include damaged infrastructure, economic loss, and traffic accidents," he stated.
According to Roy, the Highways Directorate General is aiming to complete the Public Works Minister's Draft Regulation on Toll Road MSS by June this year. “We are targeting it to be completed earlier this June,” he explained.
Roy mentioned that several points likely to be outlined in the draft regulation include the evaluation of MSS, the rights and obligations of BUJTs, the strengthening of evaluations, and other related aspects.
"Regarding the MSS evaluation, who is authorised to conduct it? The rights and obligations of BUJTs. How do we strengthen evaluation, transparency, and other aspects? So, we will see," he stated.
Additionally, the draft regulation might outline the roles and involvement of agencies within the Public Works Ministry in supporting the evaluation of toll road MSS.
"How will the process work? We will involve agencies to support the evaluation of the MSS," he added.
He ensures that the preparation of the draft regulation will also involve relevant stakeholders, such as the DPR and toll road operators.
"We will present our plan to the DPR at upcoming meetings. For instance, how can we implement direct reparations? We will also involve businesses by holding focus group discussions (FGDs) to ensure that the regulation we are preparing enables toll road operators to perform their operations excellently," Roy added.
Impacts to efficiency
On a separate occasion, Public Policy Observer Agus Pambagio stated that budget efficiency within the infrastructure sector has the potential to increase accident risks due to unmaintained facilities.
Agus mentioned that the infrastructure budget reduction by up to Rp60.46 trillion directly impacts ongoing projects. Additionally, supporting facilities such as dams, toll roads, and other state-financed structures will not be well-maintained.
"There will be many damages with more severe impacts. For instance, dams could burst, and roads could be damaged, causing casualties," Agus stated.
Additionally, he ensures that the budget reduction directly decreases workforce absorption, leading to the potential termination of jobs within companies in the infrastructure sector.
He also mentioned that another economic impact of the budget efficiency is inflation, as distribution costs rise. “Costs will increase,” he emphasised.
Djoko Setijowarno, an academician from the Civil Engineering Study Programme at Unika Soegijapranata and Deputy for Regional Empowerment and Development at the Indonesia Transportation Society (MTI), added that budget efficiency must take transportation safety factors into account.
Therefore, the MTI hopes that the budget for safety programmes within the Transportation Ministry will not be reduced or cut. This includes the operation of the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT).
"Currently, Indonesia is experiencing a transportation safety emergency. Harmonisation of legal enforcement is needed. Budget reductions cannot be conducted blindly, as this makes it difficult to anticipate accidents due to limited data," Djoko explained.
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