Same old story as far as I can see. Cheapest build; bad planning; lack of expertise, and no determination to make it work. Just loads of hype and sound-bites. And most probably riddled with corrupt practices from the off.

Usual problem, not enough cash spent on it. It could be so much better. Some of the ramps are pretty dangerous too. And when are they going to open the Gatot Subroto corridor??? The shelters were built a year ago and are already looking shabby before anyone's even used them. As for fare prices, a balance must be struck. If the price goes up, less people will use the service for sure so it's not necessarily going to make the system more money.

I have been resident in Jakarta now for some 15 months and am a regular user of Transjakarta - also a strong advocate for the services it provides. Whilst it is encouraging to see some of the shelters on Corridor 1 - in particular Harmoni Interchange - being extended to facilitate easier passenger movement, it is sad to see how much overall services have deteriorated during this period. In the beginning, I could rely on a maximum wait of 10 minutes and then find buses arriving in groups of three, but now, regardless of on which corridor I am traveling there are no such things as "schedules" any more - or if there are, they are certainly not adhered-to.

It would also appear that there are grossly insufficient funds allocated to regular Repairs and Maintenance to both Plant and Equipment. As an example, entry roller-doors and one passenger sliding door at Sumber Waras shelter were "rusak" for a period in excess of six months before recently being repaired. The deterioration of the bus fleet - in particular the original units operating on the Kota/Blok M route is saddening - broken interior panels not replaced, rubber weather strips on doors missing, seat covers torn and most buses in a general state of dis-repair.

It is imperative that a fleet maintenance programme is established and followed-through meticulously to maintain the value and reliability of the the existing bus fleet and to protect the huge capital investment made in the existing fleet and the 130+ units which are projected to be purchased in the coming year. Vehicles which should still be in prime condition give the appearance of being in excess of 10 years old.

Before even thinking about a fare increase, Transjakarta's management must get their act in order - establish schedules and maintain these (get authorities working to keep private vehicles out of dedicated bus lanes), maintain the bus fleet and shelters to make people want to travel - and give the already-pleasant and courteous staff a product of which they can be justifiably proud.

Perhaps senior management - and government officials who are charged with overseeing Transjakarta and the facilities and services it provides - should be compelled to regularly ride as passengers on each Transjakarta Corridor so they can see first-hand where the inadequacies exist. Let them see for themselves how the Security personnel so prevalent at Harmoni in non-peak periods manage to "vanish" when they are needed most. Let them experience conditions such as at Duku Atas 2 on any peak period (forget about holiday times with crowds waiting to travel to Ragunan), attempt to board a Kalideres bus during peak hours at Senen Central - and having to "run the gauntlet between parked buses" at Pologadung Terminal at any time of day or night whilst in transit between corridors. I'm sure that if this were the case, we would soon see a dramatic improvement in services across-the-board - and also some very shocked and at times distressed officials.

Get the remaining corridors open - so that the system is operational in its entirety - as a matter of top priority - publish clear and easily-interpreted route maps and make these readily-available to intending passengers (and then adhere to the published routes!) - keep to schedules and provide clean, well-maintained buses and shelters - and Transjakarta will be well on track to building its reputation and gaining support from its passenger-base.