Jakarta plans to place its public transport operator in charge of boat services to the Thousand Islands, while proposals for air transport have prompted questions about costs and who would benefit. The city’s proposed changes would also raise TransJakarta’s authorised capital from 5.225 trillion rupiah to 13.4 trillion rupiah. Lawmakers have questioned whether the operator should move beyond buses, and warned that passengers shouldn’t bear the cost of expansion.
A wider mandate, a larger budget
TransJakarta began operating in 2004. It recorded 329.2 million passenger journeys in the first nine months of 2026, and the Jakarta provincial administration projected 438.5 million for the full year. A standard bus fare costs 3,500 rupiah (S$0.25).
Proposed amendments to the company’s governing regulations would let it expand into sea and air transport. Under the city’s plan, TransJakarta would take over public boat services on routes to the Thousand Islands, a cluster off Jakarta’s northern coast, by June 2027.
On Oct 4, Governor Pramono Anung said Jakarta has 11 million residents and the wider metropolitan area has 42 million. “It is inconceivable for a metropolitan area of this size not to have air transport,” he told reporters. Air services feature in the city’s medium- to long-term plans, but Pramono hasn’t specified what aircraft might be used.
He mentioned helicopters as one possibility. Jakarta, he said, should set rules and permits before such services become necessary. He pointed to New York, which he recently visited, as a city already regulating air transport. Jakarta hasn’t announced plans to use electric flying taxis, known as electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, or eVTOLs.
Who pays, and who can ride?
The cost difference is stark. Whitesky Aviation offers helicopter charters and city transfers, with rates starting at about 32 million rupiah an hour for smaller helicopters, chief commercial officer Ari Nurwanda told local news website Detikcom in August 2025.
Deddy Herlambang, a senior researcher at Strategic Transport Initiatives (INSTRAN), questioned whether helicopters make financial sense for a city seeking to improve mass transport. “It makes no sense to use helicopters as mass public transport, like public minibuses, because large helicopters are extremely expensive,” he told The Straits Times. “The money would be better spent purchasing more TransJakarta non-BRT buses,” he said, referring to buses that use ordinary roads rather than dedicated bus lanes and extend the network beyond its main corridors.
Residents saw both the appeal and the limits of air travel. Doddy, a 45-year-old roadside seller of gorengan, or fried snacks, joked that “the only things of mine that will ever fly are my fried banana and tapioca – as an in-flight snack!” Sheila, a 28-year-old marketing executive, asked how many passengers a helicopter could carry and what a ticket would cost. “Surely, it cannot be the same cheap fare we pay for a TransJakarta bus ride,” she said.
Deddy said Jakarta’s regional budget could pay for expansion into sea transport, but keeping fares low would require subsidies. He proposed an affordable range of 25,000 rupiah to 50,000 rupiah. At an Oct 7 plenary session of the Jakarta Legislative Council, lawmakers from several political parties questioned the cost and whether TransJakarta should expand beyond bus services. Legislator Francine Widjojo said, “The public should not have to pay for this expansion through higher fares or reduced services within the city.”
Island links and regional rules
TransJakarta said a takeover of boat services should make island travel easier and support local businesses and tourism. The city is also weighing a subsidiary to operate the boats. Pramono said TransJakarta could run them more efficiently and cheaply. “Fares will certainly be cheaper if the services are managed professionally, as TransJakarta is doing now,” he added.
On Aug 22, TransJakarta president director Welfizon Yuza joined Jakarta transport officials on a visit to the islands. They inspected piers and reviewed the existing ferry fleet. In an Aug 23 company statement, he called the directive “a responsibility entrusted to us to bridge the distance and ensure equal rights for all Jakarta residents.”
The proposed air network would operate within a regional regulatory framework that is still developing. In July 2025, civil aviation authorities from 24 Asia-Pacific states and administrations, including Indonesia and Singapore, jointly developed reference materials to help regulate commercial air-taxi and drone operations. For now, the city’s immediate transport change is the planned transfer of island boat services; the cost and practical role of helicopters remain unsettled.