Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the system will serve as a solution to the problem of a payment system for transportation modes, which have still not been integrated and some that involve manual payment.
"The account-based electronic payment system in smart transportation is in line with the central government's implementation plan, which will implement MLFF (Gateless Toll Road) and JBE (electronic road payment), which will also use an account-based digital payment system," he informed.
Palembang is set to become the first city to implement account-based ticketing, he said during a focus group discussion themed “Account-Based E-Ticketing System to Support Intermodal Payment Integration and Information of the BRT Payment System” in Palembang, South Sulawesi, on Saturday.
The ABT system reflects the evolution of the fare collection system from card-based to account-based, he added. The account-based system will allow a card's ownership to be identified once it is registered on the application, thus, all user transactions would be recorded and documented.
One of the benefits of this type of personalization is that it could become the basis for determining policies and government programs, for example, for providing special fares to students, veterans, or special passengers.
Related news: Jakarta integrated transportation fare to be introduced mid-Aug
Another advantage of the system is that it will help transportation providers transition from the old ticketing system involving paper tickets, magstripe tickets, and cash payments to a more seamless system.
As for operators, such a system will be very beneficial due to lower operational costs compared to card-based ticketing solutions in which travel cards require constant reprogramming.
The minister also proposed that the integration of the electronic money-based payment system be applied to all transport operators.
"For transportation operators, the use of this system will make it easier because the collection of income will be cashless, meaning that nothing is scattered, and I also propose that this is not (only for) formal managers, but we have many private operators who will be immediately included (in the system) so that this becomes better," he said.
He called for the support of all stakeholders in the transportation sector, including banks providing the system service.
The ABT ticketing system will also benefit passengers by providing them the best fare options to suit their travel needs, including the possibility of paying for travel in a modern and convenient way.
He added that the smart transportation ecosystem in Nusantara city will also implement the ABT payment system, thus, the entire transportation payment ecosystem in Indonesia would wholly employ the ABT system in the future.
"It is expected that the use of this information technology will raise public interest in using public transportation in an easy, comfortable, affordable, and safe manner," he said.
Related news: Jakarta anniversary: TransJakarta announces special Rp1 bus fare
Related news: Jakarta approves Rp10,000 as tariff for integrated transportation cost
Translator: Adimas R F P, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
