Tips And Tricks For Commuting in Jakarta

Jakarta is a city that never sleeps. It makes everyone who lives in this very city to go hustling and bustling every day, especially for travelling within the city. Using public transportation can be quite tricky and challenging. If you're a new commuter in this metropolis city, you will need some guidance. However, if you know just the right trips and tricks, it will make your journey in commuting more convenient. The extensive transportation network covers not only Jakarta but surrounding regions such as Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi as well.

E-money Card

The first thing that you need when using public transportation in Jakarta and beyond is you have to have your own e-money. E-money is a card that electronically stores your monetary value that can be widely used for making payments or purchases. There are many selections of e-money that you can possess such as Mandiri E-Money, BCA Flazz, BNI TapCash, BRI Brizzi, and many more. You just need to visit your local bank to ask and get one of those.

Apart from banks, you can also buy one of that e-money cards at convenience stores such as Indomaret, Alfamart, Lawson, or Family Mart. You just need to spend some amount of money to buy and top up the balance before being able to use the card. However, you can also top up the card's balance right away in the public transportation station itself. But it will take some time for queuing. To save you time, you'd better top up the card through your mobile banking app or ATMs. Since almost every bank already has gone digital and owns mobile apps to ease their customers. Even now you can open a savings account right away with just your smartphone. Thanks to technology!

For those who use public transportation daily, we suggest you top up an initial deposit to your e-money card. It makes it easier when commuting. Furthermore, it's never wrong to do your own research first on the internet before going on public transportation. Because sometimes the maps and the signs in the public transportation stations can be unclear and a bit confusing to be honest. Even not all of those signs are in English. So, if you're an expatriate, it could be quite challenging.

Actually, you can find plenty of public transportations throughout Jakarta. Many of them are widely connected beyond the city but some of them have only a limited range just within the subdistrict region. Now we'd like to dig deeper into Jakarta's public transportation to make it easier for you to know the ins and outs of this city's transportation. Jagojalan has laid down the 5 different public transportations that will ease you when commuting in Jakarta and beyond. So, let's check them out!

TransJakarta Bus

TransJakarta Bus is a bus transit system network within the city that is widely scattered throughout the city. First operating in Jakarta since 2004, it claims to be one of the longest bus transit systems in the world. TransJakarta Bus is currently serving 13 primary routes with 10 cross corridors spanning over 230 km in length. You can travel way faster using TransJakarta Bus since it has separate lanes than cars. However, there might be a slowdown due to some vehicles illegally entering and taking the bus lanes that obstruct your trip. But no need to worry since stricter surveillance has been established over time by the authorities to evade this issue. This public transportation is relatively affordable. TransJakarta Bus fare is Rp 3,500. You just need to tap your e-money card at the station. Make sure your e-money card balance is available because there is no ticket counter at the station.

Online Taxi Apps

Ride-hailing apps are likely the most trending public transportation in Jakarta right now. What makes them the favourite of many Jakartans does not only do they take you to your destination but they also provide you with discounts and promotions vouchers for you to use as well. Making your ride so much convenient. There are two biggest ride-hailing companies in Jakarta, namely Go-Jek and Grab. They are the most popular among the local and ex-pat commuters in this very city, Jakarta.

If you'd like to save time travelling in this bustling city that can sometimes be overwhelming due to the traffic, you might wanna order the motorcycle riders from those ride-hailing platforms. The driver will provide you with a helmet and hair cap for safety and comfort purposes. But if time is not your problem so you can take the car ride. Both platforms offer different price ranges for each vehicle. The prices may vary due to the time and distance of your journey. But no need to worry since you're just a click away with your smartphone to check the distance and fare of your travel.

MRT Jakarta

MRT Jakarta is the newest public transportation that started operating in March 2019. It might be the most sophisticated public transportation in all of Indonesia by far. MRT Jakarta is currently laying in a 16 km line called the M1 North-South Line. It connects only Central and South Jakarta. MRT Jakarta is serving 13 stations, 7 southern stations above ground and 6 northern stations underground throughout the CBD area of Jakarta.

The operation hours of MRT is from 5 am to 10 pm every day. In the peak hours (6 am to 9 and 4 pm to 5 pm), the time interval of each MRTs is 5 minutes, yet 10 minutes outside the peak hours. The fare may vary due to the distance of the trip. It costs you from Rp 3,000 to Rp 14,000 per trip. You can use an MRT Single Trip Card or MRT Multi-Trip Card. You can also use your e-money card to use this public transportation. If you want to have a personalized card, you can purchase one at the stations.

KRL Commuter Line

KRL Commuter Line perhaps is the most popular public transportation for those who travel to the surrounding regions like Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi. Many Jakartans travel to those towns to go to work then go back to Jakarta in the afternoon. KRL Commuter Line is the commuter train system in Jakarta that extensively reaches some surrounding towns beyond Jakarta. In 2019, KRL Commuter Line was used by almost 1 million commuters since it's very affordable, ranging from Rp 3,000 to Rp 15,000. The train system is serving 80 stations with 6 lines. As usual, you can use your e-money card to travel using KRL Commuter Line. You can also purchase the daily-trip or multi-trip cards. During peak hours, you should anticipate the heavily packed trains.

So, that's the list of recommended public transportations and some tips and tricks if you'd like to go commuting in Jakarta. Besides those above, there are also many public transportations such as city buses, JakLingko, KWK, and many more. Remember to always be careful when using public transportation!