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Agus Santosa was surprised to see a new hologram sticker in the corner of his car’s front windshield after he went for a general inspection at his local garage.

“Apparently they conducted an emissions test on my car,” he said, somewhat puzzled because he hadn’t asked for one.
Not that Santosa was complaining: the test was quick, cheap and best of all, his car passed.

“Good, so now I know that my car is in good condition,” he said, smiling. “I heard that the Jakarta administration won’t let cars that don’t have this sticker onto the main streets.”

Well, at least in theory. In 2005, Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso issued a regulation aimed at curbing air pollution in the capital, which requires all vehicles to undergo a yearly emissions test. The goal is to reduce the amounts of pollutants from vehicles: presumably there are excessive levels, though officials don’t have the equipment necessary to measure total citywide emissions.

To support this program, 300 garages across Jakarta were appointed as official emissions testing centers. The test takes less than 30 minutes, and costs about Rp 56,000 ($6). The alternative for vehicle owners is up to six months in prison or a Rp 50 million fine.

“Although on paper the penalty is harsh, I can’t say the program has worked. Very few people are abiding by the regulation,” said Ridwan Panjaitan, head of the law enforcement division at the Jakarta Environmental Management Board.

He says city police are not authorized to ticket motorists whose vehicles don’t have an emissions sticker because the gubernatorial regulation conflicts with the Criminal Code on punishments for offenders.

“For any crime involving more than three months jail, you have to go through a long process as required by the Criminal Code,” Ridwan said.

This means the Jakarta administration would have to file legal cases against offenders with the city police, he says, which would involve the district attorney, lawyers, judges and an endless string of trials. “You can see that it’s just too complicated,” he said.

Because it’s also difficult to go back and revise the existing gubernatorial regulation, the Jakarta administration is considering a plan to entice people by offering occasional free emissions tests.

“It’s still in the planning stage,” Ridwan said.

The Jakarta Environmental Management Board has attempted to be proactive, touting the benefits of emissions testing.

“If they check their vehicles regularly, the vehicles will always be in good condition, which will result in less pollution in the city, and they will also save fuel,” Ridwan said.

Last year, the board began issuing warnings about public places in Jakarta that require vehicles to have an emissions sticker to enter or park. There are now 34 locations across the city enforcing this rule, including the parking area around the National Monument (Monas), shopping malls and government offices.

However, numerous problems remain. Ridwan says that while it’s easier to get private vehicle owners to get an emissions test because they have a “sense of belonging” toward their cars, that sentiment is not shared by public bus drivers toward their vehicles.

“Public buses are regularly checked by the Jakarta  Transportation Agency and are often declared OK. However, when we perform impromptu checks on the road, almost 90 percent of them fail,” Ridwan said, declining to comment on whether there was corruption involved in the emissions testing of public buses.

According to Riza Hasyim, deputy chief of the transportation agency, emissions are just one of nine items tested on public buses.
“We check those buses every six months, and there are sanctions if they fail to pass any of those nine items,” he said.

Riza declined to comment on claims by the Jakarta Environmental Management Board that 90 percent of public buses failed roadside emissions tests, only saying that “we perform our checks according to our standards.”

But there are ways around the tests it, as the Jakarta Globe learned from Governor Fauzi Bowo himself. He said a private auto service station next door to the emissions and inspection center rented out parts by the hour so buses, Metro-Minis and Kopajas could pass inspection.