Callistasia Anggun Wijaya – The Jakarta city administration through its city bus management company, PT Transportasi Jakarta (Transjakarta), kicked off the operation of women-only buses when the country commemorated Kartini Day on Thursday.

The day commemorates the birthday of Kartini, a hero of women's emancipation, who was born on April 21, 1879. The release of the first pink buses was conducted by Veronica Tan, the wife of Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama.

For the initial operation, two pink buses will serve female passengers along Transjakarta Corridor I, from the Blok M bus terminal in South Jakarta to the Kota train station in North Jakarta. Eight other buses will start operation in late May.

The pink buses are reserved for female passengers who don't feel secure taking public transportation, or who are not comfortable standing shoulder to shoulder with male passengers, said Governor Ahok.

"There may be some women who are insecure to be crowded in by men for they may think that it is muhrim (men and women who are not related and cannot touch each other). These buses will make women passengers feel more comfortable to use Transjakarta," Ahok said on Thursday. Ahok said hoped that the buses would pass the bus stops every 30 minutes.

PT Transjakarta CEO Budi Kaliwono said that 40 percent of Transjakarta passengers were women. Therefore his company paid serious attention to the female passengers. He planned to deploy the female-only buses on other Transjakarta corridors.

The busses will be operated by female crews consisting of two on-board officers and a driver from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m, said Budi, adding that each bus could transport up to 118 passengers. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/04/21/jakarta-kicks-off-operation-of-female-only-buses.html