Transportation and the Adoption of New Habits

SEKRETARIAT PRESIDEN

President Joko Widodo chaired a limited cabinet meeting related to the development of the handling of Covid-19 through a teleconference from the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Monday (13/4/2020).

Following the instructions of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on the “new normal”, the government continues to review the stages, patterns and the appropriate timeline to apply new normal procedures in accordance with data and the facts in the field.

The Transportation Ministry, in collaboration with a number of universities, namely UGM, UI, ITB, and ITS, has conducted a number of studies and produced policy papers from various points of view to inform policy making.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a very severe test that must be faced by our nation. COVID-19 mitigation efforts often clash with efforts to increase economic activity and improve people’s livelihoods. Social restrictions and passenger movements have paralyzed socio-economic activities, also leaving the transportation sector disabled.

Also read : Transition Begins, All Urged to Follow Health Protocols

In the air transportation subsector, since the beginning of this year the number of passengers and the frequency of international and domestic flights have continued to decline dramatically. In March, April and May, the aviation industry got close to its nadir or "shutdown point". In April alone, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the number of passengers dropped sharply by 81.7 percent, compared to the previous month, and was down 85 percent compared to April 2019. Airports have been deserted and airlines have increasingly been forced to ground their planes. It has been the same in the railroad subsector, SDP (lake and ferry services), shipping passengers and AKAP (inter-city and inter-province)/AKDP (inter-city in a province) buses, even public transportation and ojol (online taxis). However, in the midst of a pandemic, the transportation sector must still operate at a minimum for humanitarian missions and maintain the supply chain.

In principle, as long as a vaccine is not yet available, even though the spread of COVID-19 is relatively under control, things will not return to normal like they were before the pandemic. Some experts even say the COVID-19 pandemic will be endemic like HIV and Ebola. The single most effective weapon against COVID-19 is to limit human contact as much as possible and to be as hygienic as possible.

Also read : June Serves as Transition Period for Jakarta

Its implication is that we have to adapt to the situation. Transportation will change from the old normal to the new normal. Transportation users and providers/operators need to adapt to normality/custom/new habits in the form of new procedures or protocols based on health and hygiene as well as spacing or physical distancing requirements.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Staff members of the health office at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport check the documents of a passenger, including a certificate declaring he has tested negative for COVID-19, at the airport in Tangerang, Banten, Friday (8/5/2020). Domestic flights were reopened to the public under some conditions based on a recently issued government circular.

The transportation sector is experiencing a paradigm shift from the old to the new. So far, one of the main functions of transportation in the community is to bring people together face to face or become facilitators of social interaction. Now that function has ceased as a result of restrictions throughout the world. At the same time, the transportation sector has been required to continue to operate to support the movement of people and goods. The supply chain must keep moving to reduce the economic impacts of the pandemic. In general, the new normal has at least two advantages. First, the health protocols will protect Indonesia from the threat of a (continuing) pandemic. Second, it supports the sustainability of the country from various sides and prevents new problems, such as fiscal crisis, food security and disruption to the education system.

New normal challenges

Responding to the implementation of the new normal in the transportation sector, several challenges will be faced. First, the implementation of health protocols and physical distancing is a good challenge for regulators/facilitators, operators of infrastructure/facilities, as well as transportation users, especially public transportation. Regulators need to prepare a comprehensive guide on the implementation of health protocols that can be translated into SOPs by operators. In the air transportation subsector, airport operators must make use of equipment like smart helmets, automatic hand sanitizers, ultraviolet robots, disinfectant sprayers and ultraviolet conveyor belts to disinfect luggage.

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Airport operators need to prepare banded stainless steel poles to keep passengers 1.5 meters apart while queuing and arrange seating in waiting rooms to ensure there is 1.5 meters between passengers. A number of procedural steps will be required, such as distancing in check-in queues, measuring body temperature, wearing masks, washing hands as often as possible and not touching the face.

Passengers entering Jakarta must hold an entry and exit permit (SIKM), which can be obtained online. Passengers are expected to arrive at the airport much earlier (3-4 hours before flight departure). In the sea transportation and SDP subsectors, operators of ports or ferries/ships must implement health and physical distancing protocols, including the addition of health equipment for port workers and crew members, and decontamination of port buildings and ships. Likewise in the railway subsector, (city, AKAP, AKDP) buses. Train/MRT/LRT stations, bus terminals/depots/shelters, need to prepare facilities/infrastructure for the implementation of health, disinfection and physical distancing protocols. Its implication is that capital/operational costs increase.

Also read : Inaccurate Data Is the Source of the Problem

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

An informational banner on the symptoms of Covid-19 hangs from a barrier on Thursday (7/5/2020) at Pasar Senen Station in Central Jakarta. National railway PT KAI operated no train services from the station on the first day after the government reopened several modes of public transportation, particularly for medical workers and people who wanted to visit ill relatives or family graves.

Second, the requirement to only fill 50 percent of capacity is a formidable challenge for transportation operators. On the demand side, the restriction policy limits the number of passengers, while on the supply side, the application of physical distancing limits the number of seats available to passengers. Without tariff adjustments, this has a major effect on the financial security/sustainability of transport operators and the return on investment costs. On the other hand, tariff adjustments affect the affordability for the public/passengers. Even more severe challenges will be faced by transport operators/providers of small and micro transportation services (feeder services, speedboats, city transportation and ojol).

Third, digitalization is a strategy to minimize physical contact among people as well as a challenge in managing transportation infrastructure/facilities. In the air transportation subsector, digitalization efforts are realized by increasing the use of e-ticketing, contactless inspection, e-luggage tags and e-boarding passes, among other measures. In the sea transportation subsector, ports continue to operate in order to maintain the supply chain by increasing digitalization and automation, including in warehousing, stacking yards and stevedoring (unloading cargo from ships to the dock or from trucks to ships). Likewise, digitalization in the railroad and bus (city, AKAP, AKDP) subsectors and SDP can minimize human contact while increasing operational performance. Its implication is that capital and operational costs will also increase.

Inter-stakeholders

COVID-19 control and implementation of new normal procedures in the transportation sector present severe challenges. However, without this phase, we cannot move forward, and will only walk in place or even move backward. Without the transportation sector, the engine of economic growth will not rotate. No matter how severe, we must face these challenges together according to the principle of berat sama dipikul dan ringan sama dijinjing (many hands make light work) in our mutual cooperation tradition. This requires collaboration and mutual support from stakeholders, both government, community, business and industry, universities and civil society organizations.

Universities are highly expected to increase their role, especially through research and development activities, in the context of mitigating the impact of COVID-19 and the application of the new normal.

Kompas

Budi Karya Sumadi

We need to build a culture of hygiene within the transportation system (humanitarian transportation) and minimize physical contact, be more digitized, and be more adaptively designed even though tariffs on public transportation tend to be more expensive or need greater subsidies from the government. However, we are optimistic that the new normal, including in transportation, will provide wisdom in restructuring the national economy.

Budi Karya Sumadi, Transportation Minister of the Republic of Indonesia.