TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Deputy Chair of Commission V of the House of Representatives (DPR), Syaiful Huda, is urging the government to overhaul the national public transportation system as a safeguard against the ongoing surge in global oil prices. According to the National Awakening Party (PKB) politician, the government cannot rely indefinitely on work-from-home (WFH) policies as a makeshift solution for energy and fuel conservation.
Huda further suggested that the government must improve the governance of public transit to make it a more attractive option for the general public. "The permanent solution is to shift citizen mobility from private vehicles to reliable public transportation," he stated in a written release on Monday, April 6, 2026.
Huda assessed that the energy crisis triggered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz presents a critical opportunity for Indonesia to invest in the quality of its public transit. For him, Indonesia's heavy dependence on fossil-fuel-powered private vehicles leaves national resilience vulnerable to the volatility of global oil markets.
Thus, he suggested that central and regional governments coordinate their efforts through 'buy the service' intervention schemes, where the state purchases public transportation services for the people. Huda pointed out that, at present, well-functioning and integrated mass transit is largely confined to Jakarta, leaving other regions in dire need of adequate options.
The improvement of mass transit should be viewed as a strategy for defending energy sovereignty, rather than just an urban planning issue. "There must be a clear roadmap so that public transportation in Indonesia truly becomes a backbone that is comfortable, affordable, and accessible," he remarked.
Huda also called on the government to find the political will to redirect a portion of private vehicle fuel subsidies toward operational subsidies for public transit to lower fares. He believes that if public transportation is both affordable and high-quality, the public will naturally make the switch in the face of rising fuel costs.
This reallocation of subsidies must be balanced with government policies that limit the use of private vehicles. However, he emphasized that such restrictions can only be implemented once the government provides a fleet of public transportation that is truly suitable and comfortable.
Read: House Urges Government to Adjust Fuel Prices
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