Electric buses in Surabaya and Bandung at risk of being stalled
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 - Bus listrik di Surabaya dan Bandung terancam mangkrak
28 June 2023
Jakarta - Electric buses in Surabaya and Bandung are at risk of being stalled as there is no remaining operating budget. It is ironic as there is currently a campaign to use electric public transportation, which is a new programme of President Joko Widodo’s government.
MTI Territorial Strengthening and Development Deputy Chairperson Djoko Setijowarno said that electric buses started to operate in Bandung and Surabaya at the end of December 2022. The electric buses added to the number buses operating.
“In Surabaya, they only operated for 14 days as there is no operating budget. Then, until now, it is unclear when they will resume operation. The electric buses are at risk of being stalled,” Djoko said on Tuesday (27/6/2023).
The electric buses that were used during the G20 Summit from 15 to 16 November 2022 in Bali were distributed 17 units to Surabaya (Trans Semanggi Suroboyo) and 8 units to Bandung (Trans Metro Pasundan). Trans Semanggi Suroboyo and Trans Metro Pasundan are urban bus transportation service systems from the Transportation Ministry. They are part of the Teman Bus programme that uses the buy the service scheme. Through a contract, the Transportation Ministry has paid an operator to operate the buses. The operator of the electric buses in Surabaya and Bandung is Perum DAMRI.
The electric buses were produced domestically by PT Inka Madiun in cooperation with Piala Mas for the bodywork. The buses’ production was also supported by the Kedaireka Programme with four universities, namely Universitas Gadjah Mada, Universitas Airlangga, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, and Institut Seni Indonesia Denpasar. The electric buses can carry 19 to 25 passengers with a battery capacity of 138 kWh that takes around 1 to 3 hours to charge. With that capacity, the electric buses can travel 160 kilometres.
In Surabaya and Bandung, the electric buses operated on 18 December 2022. Then, they were launched in Surabaya on 20 December 2022 and in Bandung on 24 December 2022. Both services stopped operating on 31 December 2022.
