JAKARTA - Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung admitted on Wednesday that years of policy work to push residents onto public transport have not yet paid off, pointing to one stubborn obstacle: the force of habit.

"The main problem is that people still use private vehicles, so the integration that has been done, regarding transport integration, vision, policy, fares, and operations so that people ride public transport, has not fully succeeded because you really have to change habits," Pramono said in an exclusive interview with Indonesia’s state-owned agency Antara at Balai Kota Jakarta on February 25.

Jakarta's public transport network now covers 92 percent of the city, yet only 23.6 percent of residents ride it regularly. 

Part of the problem, Pramono noted, is that many commuters still drive to the nearest bus stop or station and park there rather than starting their journey on public transit from home. "What I hope is that the park-and-ride is near each person's home," he said.

A 2023 study found that several densely populated areas of Jakarta, such as Cilincing, Cakung, Kalideres, Cengkareng, Jagakarsa, Kembangan, and Pesanggrahan, have high potential demand for BRT but limited walking access to nearby stations.

The issue stems from a mismatch between where people live and how easily they can access BRT stations in Jakarta. Some districts have large populations and strong potential demand for public transport, but limited walking access (within 0–10 minutes) to nearby BRT stops.

Jakarta allocated Rp6.4 trillion in subsidies for transport, food, and water services in 2025, and held Transjakarta, MRT, and LRT fares flat all year to keep them affordable, Pramono announced at a budget press conference at Balai Kota on January 21. 

Ridership did climb, with all three services collectively carrying 461 million passengers in 2025, up 16.65 percent from 402 million the year before. 

Pramono has also repeatedly urged satellite cities like Bekasi, Tangerang, Depok, and Bogor to shoulder more of the infrastructure burden, noting Jakarta currently covers all transit costs alone.