By Agnes Winarti
Published in The Jakarta Post | Mon, February 20 2012
Seven months after its debut appearance, Trans Sarbagita, the island’s first modern public bus service, is gradually winning over the hearts of the Balinese.In August last year, buses on the first of the 17 planned-corridors of Trans Sarbagita started servicing a route between Batubulan terminal in Gianyar regency and Nusa Dua in Badung regency.
The corridor’s 15 units of buses offer an alternative mode of transportation, as the island’s capital Denpasar and its access to Nusa Dua (Sunset Road) in Badung are regularly beset with traffic problems.
Seven months afterwards, the service has slowly but surely gained popularity among commuters frustrated with traffic.
“It has been almost 20 years since Balinese society ‘abandoned’ public transport and its culture. We need more time to reintroduce it,” head of Trans Sarbagita operator agency Ida Bagus Parsa told The Jakarta Post recently.
As most bemo (public minibus) are usually battered vehicles with irregular fares and routes, and reliable taxis are hard to find, most local residents have come to depend on private cars or vehicles for mobility.
Parsa added that up to 1,600 passengers had used Sarbagita buses daily, with last year’s average passenger load at 22 percent, or more than nine passengers per bus.
The agency also expects to operate another corridor connecting downtown Denpasar, the Udayana University and the GWK (Garuda Wisnu Kencana) Cultural Park in Jimbaran in April.
One of the challenges that Sarbagita currently encounters is that some Balinese took a dim view of taking public transport.
“Those who underestimate public transport are usually the wealthy but less educated people. I believe more and more people are having their minds opened now,” Mira, who owns villas in Tanah Lot and Nusa Dua, told The Jakarta Post, during a trip on an air-conditioned Sarbagita bus recently.
“For me, with a ticket worth Rp 3,500, a Sarbagita is much more affordable compared to the gasoline price.”
She used the bus daily to commute to her workplace in Nusa Dua. Mira and her French husband also often took their two children by Sarbagita during the weekend. “It’s more fun,” she said.
Nonetheless, she expects an improved feeder bus services system due to the long distances that separate bus stops.
For the Batubulan – Nusa Dua corridor, there are currently three stops for the feeder shuttles located in Tegal terminal, Sentral Parkir Kuta and Jalan Dewi Sartika Tuban.
Dutch pensioner Frans van Goolen, who said he had so far enjoyed riding Sarbagita, added that the service had something to offer.
“This is the best way to meet and interact with the local culture. I prefer traveling like this than on a bus with a bunch of other tourists,” said van Goolen, who can speak a little Indonesian and has his own Balinese nickname “Komang.”
The native of Amsterdam, who is on a four-month long getaway on the Island, changed from riding a motorbike to riding a Sarbagita, after being ticketed numerous times by the police.
“Because I’m a foreigner, I had to pay Rp 400,000 every time the police ticketed me. That’s just way too expensive,” said van Goolen, while praising the punctuality and cleanliness of the new bus system.
The Sarbagita ticket price is Rp 3,500 (39 US cents) for regular passengers and Rp 2,500 for students. Sarbagita operates from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.
