Daily MRT passengers fell sharply from 22,686 in June to 4,450 in July, President Director of PT MRT Jakarta (Perseroda) William Sabandar said.
"We can see from our target of 40 thousand, the number of passengers in July is 4,450, so it is only 10 percent of what we are targeting," Sabandar noted during a webinar organized by MRT Jakarta on Friday.
This city-owned transportation company has restricted the number of passengers, temporarily closed three stations, closed a number of entrances, enforced worker registration certificates (STRP) for essential sector workers, and changed daily operating hours, he informed.
Most of the efforts were made to support the government's policies during the emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM) and level 4 PPKM to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and suppress the spike in active cases, Sabandar said.
Meanwhile, since the STRP obligation was enforced on July 12, 2021, the number of daily MRT passengers dropped to a low of 491, he added.
During the emergency PPKM and level 4 PPKM implemented from July 3 - July 28, 2021, the number of daily passengers stood at 3,839, while the total number of passengers during the period was recorded at 99,820, he disclosed.
"Once the STRP was carried out, the number fell even further. We can see that the STRP has succeeded in suppressing mobility and in reducing the number of victims both (who have been) exposed (to the virus) and (those who have) died amid the surge in COVID-19 cases," Sabandar said.
At present, MRT Jakarta has restricted operating hours from 6 a.m. Western Indonesian Time (WIB) to 8:30 p.m. WIB from Mondays to Fridays and from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.WIB on weekends and holidays.
The frequency of trains (headway) on weekdays is every 10 minutes, while on the weekends and holidays is every 20 minutes, according to MRT.
The MRT is also limiting the number of commuters to 65 per train, Sabandar said.
Related news: MRT Jakarta maximizes revenue from advertising as ridership declines
Related news: MRT Jakarta subsidiaries to develop five TOD areas in Jakarta
Translator: Mentari D, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
