Jakarta – Jakarta Police are cracking down on electric bike-sharing app Migo, with a ban on the distinctive yellow electric bikes that have begun to gain popularity on the capital's streets.
Jakarta Traffic Police law enforcement unit head Comr. Herman Ruswandi said the ban was necessary because the e-bikes had yet to undergo tests to allow them to be used in the city.
"We are still discussing this with the [Jakarta] Transportation Agency to figure out whether these electric bikes have passed the tests [to operate on the streets]," Herman said on Wednesday, kompas.com reported.
According to Article 49 of Law No. 22/2009 on traffic and transportation, every motorized vehicle operating on the streets must pass vehicle-type tests and further periodic tests. Herman added that the electric bikes did not have license plates.
Separately, Migo Jakarta operational manager Sukamdani said the company was following up the Jakarta Police's plan to ticket Migo users.
"Migo is currently applying for our vehicle-type tests with the Transportation Ministry," Sukamdani said on Tuesday, kontan.co.id reported.
He said he had also coordinated with the Jakarta Transportation Agency in reprimanding Migo users who used arterial roads that could disrupt traffic.
"As long as the rules allow bikes on a street, we allow users to do so. Where there are rules against doing so, we have told our users in our terms of service in the app that users must follow the rules," he said.
Previously, Migo users were spotted in crowded areas such as the Car Free Day event on Jl. Sudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta, as well as residential areas in Kalibata and Pancoran, South Jakarta and Pinang Ranti and Makasar, East Jakarta.
The service stipulates that the electric bikes can only be rented and ridden by users over 17 years old and in possession of a driving license, but children have still been spotted using the bike-sharing app. (ami)