FILE PHOTO: Traffic in front of the BI headquarters in Jakarta in Sept 2025. Jakarta’s traffic paralysis, especially during bad weather, is an economic drain as congestion slows business activity, worsens air quality and erodes productivity. — Bloomberg
JAKARTA: “Honestly, that was the worst experience I’ve ever had in nearly 40 years of driving,” said Dian Anggraeni, who works for the Jakarta administration, describing her drive home to Kemang, South Jakarta, amid heavy rain and flooding on Oct. 30.
“It took me around seven hours to get close to my house, a route that normally takes me just one hour. I could’ve made it all the way to Yogyakarta in the same amount of time,” she told The Jakarta Post with a wry laugh on Tuesday (Nov 4).
That day’s torrential downpour paralysed much of Jakarta, striking right as millions of commuters were heading home. Gridlock on some of the city’s main arteries left workers stranded for hours.
“Everyone ended up turning off their engines. The cars were completely stuck, just parked there. It was really frustrating, especially when, halfway through, my gas tank was already down to two bars,” she recalled the physically and mentally draining experience.
“I was completely worn out, and on top of that, I still had to deal with the flooding at home. I was definitely unproductive the next day. After spending seven hours on the road, I decided right away I wouldn’t go to work [the next day],” she said.
Public transit users fared no better. Ulfa Chaira, who works in an office on Central Jakarta’s Jl. Gatot Subroto and usually relies on TransJakarta buses and ride-hailing cars, described a similarly gruelling experience that also forced her to take a day off.
“Even taking the bus wasn’t smooth at all. There were very few buses running, and then we got stuck for two hours, completely stopped, like, we weren’t moving at all,” she told the Post on Wednesday.
“People were so exhausted they just sat down on the floor of the bus. Some even went up next to the driver, which you’re not supposed to do, but because it was so packed, there was nowhere else to stand.”
Hailing a ride was not an option for her either, as the fares that day soared to around Rp 250,000 (US$14.97), four to five times her usual rate. “But it wasn’t just expensive, it was nearly impossible to get one,” Ulfa said.
Zaki Novriyanto, who drives for ride-hailing service Grab, said the higher fares did not necessarily translate to higher income for drivers.
“There are pros and cons. On the downside, during those rainy afternoons, the roads are completely jammed, and yes, fares go up, but even though the prices are higher, picking up passengers takes way longer, sometimes up to 20 minutes. So, in the end, it kind of evens out,” he told the Post on Wednesday.
Still, Zaki admitted that, for those willing to brave the conditions, the surge in demand could be an opportunity thanks to fares reaching three to four times the usual rate.
“Some drivers don’t take orders or choose not to go out at all, so demand keeps rising and prices go up. It’s a bit of a strategy, you just have to be smart about it, avoiding flood-prone routes as much as possible,” he said.
Businesses that depend on online deliveries also feel the impact. Sarah Nuraini, who runs a cable and accessories shop in Central Jakarta and sells mainly through e-commerce platforms, said that, during the rainy season, especially in extreme weather, deliveries from Tanjung Priok Port to her warehouse slow down significantly and it becomes difficult to find couriers to deliver customer orders.
“Instant packages sent via Gojek or Grab take much longer to be picked up. Even after everything’s packed and ready, no one wants to take the order because of the rain,” Sarah said, speaking to the Post on Thursday. “It ends up affecting our ratings and customer satisfaction.”
As a result, her employees also have to work overtime to wait for the remaining orders to be collected.
The impact of gridlock extends far beyond inconvenience, costing the Greater Jakarta region (Jabodetabek) some Rp 100 trillion a year in economic losses, according to a 2019 government study.
“Disrupted public transportation services clearly reduce worker productivity. During heavy traffic, travel times become longer, leaving commuters more fatigued and at greater health risk. Poor air quality further exacerbates these negative health impacts,” said Gonggomtua Sitanggang, South-East Asia director at the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP).
Gonggomtua noted that, despite mass-transit systems like TransJakarta, the MRT and the LRT, Jakarta’s transportation policies remain overwhelmingly car-oriented, feeding a self-perpetuating cycle.
“Private cars and motorcycles still account for around 80 per cent of daily trips, while public transportation, excluding [ride hailing services], makes up only about 11 per cent,” Gonggomtua told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
As vehicle numbers grow, so does the demand for more roads and parking, shrinking valuable urban space.
“This reduces areas for human activity and green open spaces, which also serve as vital water catchment zones in the city center. […] The shrinking space for people, particularly for housing, forces the city to expand outward, creating urban sprawl,” he explained.
In the short-to-medium term, Gonggomtua said, the government needed to prioritise pedestrian infrastructure throughout the city.
Data from the Jakarta Transportation Agency showed only 215 kilometres of sidewalks built to good standards, a small fraction of the city’s 6,485 km of roads. He also emphasised the need for better coordination among public transportation providers.
“During heavy rain or service disruptions, an integrated authority could quickly adjust operations, so passengers still have reliable options,” he explained. Citing Singapore as an example, Gonggomtua noted how the Land Transport Authority (LTA) there deploys additional buses whenever an MRT line is disrupted.
“When the East - West Line was down, the Land Transport Authority immediately deployed its bus operators to provide additional services and accommodate passengers affected by the MRT disruption,” he said.
He warned that, if left unaddressed, Jakarta could become less attractive for living and business, as its trade and service-driven economy relied on high productivity and reliable mobility.
“A transportation system that lacks resilience will ultimately drag down national economic growth, because much of Indonesia’s economic activity is still concentrated in Jakarta” he said. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
