"In the early days of implementing this tariff, we encouraged the payment method using the QRIS method to support the cashless society initiative by the central government," Director of Road Transport Suharto stated here on Friday.
The ministry, through the Directorate General of Land Transportation, informed of the payment method that will take effect as of October 31, 2022.
Suharto stated that in line with the government's goal to support a cashless society, 10 cities had introduced the Bus Friend service, five of which -- Palembang, Solo, Denpasar, Yogyakarta, and Medan -- would apply non-cash payments using electronic cards and the QRIS scan method.
Five other cities -- Bandung, Surabaya, Banjarmasin, Makassar, and Banyumas -- only accept payments using the QRIS scan method for the time being.
The payment method for Bus Friend is still the same as when it was free, in which passengers simply place non-cash card, such as E-money Mandiri, Brizzi BRI, Tap Cash BNI, and Flazz BCA, on the Tap on Bus or ToB device in the Bus Friend fleet.
Payment methods with QRIS can be done by scanning the provided QR Code through e-wallet applications, such as Gopay, Ovo, Dana, LinkAja, and ShopeePay or through banking applications that provide payment features with QRIS, like Livin' by the Mandiri application, BRImo, BNI Mobile, M-BCA, Octo Mobile, Permata Mobile, M-Smile, D-Bank, and Simobi+, among others.
He said Finance Ministry's Regulation No.138 of 2022 detailed the tariffs that apply in each city: Rp4,000 for Palembang, Rp3,700 for Solo, Rp4,400 for Denpasar, Rp3,600 for Yogyakarta, Rp4,300 for Medan, Rp4,900 for Bandung, Rp6,200 for Surabaya, Rp4,300 for Banjarmasin, Rp4,600 for Makassar, and Rp3,900 for Banyumas.
The ministry has also continued to push for the development of cashless payments, so that they could be implemented in all cities, so that more people would switch from private transportation to public transportation, as payment-wise, the process was made easier.
“Regarding the application of special rates for students, the elderly, and disabled and integration rates, we are currently still conducting studies and coordinating with all relevant stakeholders. It is expected that in the near future, it can be implemented immediately," he concluded.
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Translator: Adimas R F P, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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