Under my current financial conditions, it is not easy for me to travel a lot but then chances come unexpectedly and after 5 years I have the opportunity to visit Jakarta and Bekasi again. It is nice to notice that there are lots of improvements but other things remain the same. The following were the details.
- This Airport bus station is a newly added feature of the SOETTA Airport
A new feature of the Jakarta SOETTA airport is the airport bus terminal. It is now more convenient to wait for the bus that goes to your destination and you don’t have to pay the ticket on the bus but you can purchase it at the terminal. The counter is located below the indoor unit of the air conditioner.
Outside of the Airport bus station waiting room
The picture beside is the boarding place of the Airport bus. However the bus terminal bus does not serve only the Damri official airport bus but also out of town buses like Primajasa that goes to Bandung.
To ease the traffic flow the authorities introduced electronic toll road payment as you can see at the picture below.
Now you can pay the toll fee electronically
New shopping mal are everywhere
New shopping malls and condos are everywhere. This one is build near the inner Jakarta toll ring road. Ramayana dept store is everywhere and you can see that Carrefour is also invading.
New electronic gates are being installed at train stations
As you can see at one of the pictures the Jakarta commuter train service is going to introduce electronic gates and electronic tickets for Jakarta commuters. This picture was taken at the Bekasi railway station. However Bekasi railway station still serves medium distance trains like those going to Purwakarta. The electronic gates were being installed at all stations in the Jabotabek area.
Commuter train is gaining popularity for mass transportation
The service was also upgraded. Now economy class commuter trains have air conditioners so during hot days or rush hours it helps a lot. The doors are also working now so it was much safer, at least safe from falling out and pickpockets. Hopefully this transportation system can ease the traffic burden on the roads.
- TransJakarta Busway has expand it service to reach new destinations
The other now so new introduction is the transjakarta busway system, however they have expand the corridors where they serve. Before in 2005 it was only Blok M and Jakarta Kota but now they have opened at least 5 new corridors serving nearly all parts of Jakarta. Unfortunately the route where they came near to the railway the stations are quite far apart (except for the Gambir station) so when you are in a hurry to catch a train it is possible that you will miss the train, so you have to spare ample of time. This picture was taken at the Pulogadung terimal located at East Jakarta.
Traffic jam..... the real Jakarta
Something doesn’t change….. Traffic jams and the discipline of the road users. You can see that the traffic lights have change to green and we simply cannot move because our way is blocked and if the condition get worse soon it will be a total jam.
Vegetable seller remains as usuall
The next good thing that remains is the man who visits the housing complex every morning to sell food (vegetables etc.). They have variations now, not only the come on modified tricycles like this but now you can see that some of them using old minivans. It is nice that you can buy your daily need just in front of your doorsteps. The vegetables are fresh from the farm they buy it from the vegetable wholesalers.
New highrise buildings
And yes as it is in big cities all over the world new high rise buildings are appearing everywhere. One can be amazed on how fast they build these buildings, and also wonder who are going to buy and use all the facilities? No wonder with so many construction projects in Jakarta people are coming to look for jobs at least as a construction labors.
These are some of the changes and one cannot see and record all the changes on a short visit, but I hope this can give you an idea of what is going on.
Enjoy the pictures.
