Transport in Indonesia

Indonesia has a big and interesting transport system because it is made up of many islands, with most people living on just one island called Java. The way people and things move around the country depends on roads, railways, seas, and airplanes, and each type of transport helps in its own way.

Road transport is very important, with thousands of kilometers of roads connecting different places. The railway system mainly helps move big amounts of goods and people, especially on islands like Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi.

Sea transport is crucial because many islands need ships to connect them for trade and travel. Each big island has at least one major port city where ships come and go.

Airplanes also play a big role, especially when there are no good roads or ships to reach a place. There are many domestic flights so people can travel between major cities quickly.

Water transport

Merchant marine vessels

Indonesia has many islands, so boats are very important for travel between them. Common boats include big ships that carry things, ferries, ships for passengers, and smaller motor boats. A special wooden boat called the pinisi is still used to carry goods between islands. Main places for these boats are Sunda Kelapa in Jakarta and Paotere harbour in Makassar.

Ferry services often cross between nearby islands, especially from Sumatra through Java to the Lesser Sunda Islands. On busy routes between Sumatra, Java, and Bali, ferries run all day and night. There are also ferries between Sumatra and Malaysia, and between Singapore and islands close to it, like Batam. These ferry services are run by the government and private companies.

Passenger ships travel to faraway islands, especially in the east. The national shipping line, Pelni, goes to ports all over the country every two to four weeks. These ships are often the cheapest way to travel long distances. Smaller boats also help people move between islands.

On some islands, rivers are important for travel when roads are not good. In Kalimantan, longboats on rivers are the only way to reach many places far from the coast.

Waterways

Indonesia has many rivers that can be used for boats. These waterways are important because the rivers are often too narrow for bigger ships, and roads and railways are not always good options. Kalimantan and Papua are not as developed as Java, which has many good roads.

Ports and harbours

Main article: List of Indonesian ports

Big ports and harbours include Bitung, Cilacap, Cirebon, Jakarta, Kupang, Palembang, Semarang, Surabaya, and Makassar. Ports are managed by four Indonesia Port Corporations, each covering different parts of the country. The Port of Tanjung Priok in Jakarta is the busiest.

A project to make Tanjung Priok Port bigger is happening now. When finished, it will be three times bigger than it is today. In 2015, work started on a new port in North Sumatra called Kuala Tanjung Port. It is expected to handle many containers each year.

Roads and highways

Many different vehicles are used on Indonesia's roads. Bus services are common in areas with roads. Between big cities, especially on Sumatra, Java, and Bali, buses run often and go straight to their destination.

Intercity bus

The intercity bus service is a big way people travel between cities in Indonesia, either on the same island or between islands using ferry crossings. Major bus companies, called P.O., work mostly in Java and Sumatra. The longest intercity bus route in Indonesia goes from Medan in North Sumatra to Jember in East Java.

City bus

Some large cities have city bus services, including special bus rapid transit (BRT) systems. Jakarta has the largest BRT system in the world. Other cities like Yogyakarta, Surabaya, and Bandung also have their own BRT systems.

Taxis and autorickshaws

Many cities have taxis and motorised autorickshaws, known as bajaj, for hire. Cycle rickshaws, called becak, are also common but have been restricted in places like Jakarta. Ridesharing services like Gojek and Grab are popular now.

Minibus

In smaller towns and far areas, minibuses and minivans, called angkot, are common. They often work as share taxis on fixed routes.

Private cars

More people in Indonesia can afford private cars now, especially in big cities. However, this has caused heavy traffic jams, especially in Jakarta.

National routes

Indonesia has many highways, with some main ones part of the Asian Highway Network. These national routes connect big cities and are made for both normal traffic and large trucks. In Java, these routes have numbers, but outside Java they do not.

Toll roads

All expressways in Indonesia are toll roads. The first one, the Jagorawi Toll Road, opened in 1978. Toll roads are in many parts of Indonesia, including Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, the Lesser Sunda Islands, and Kalimantan.

Railways

Main article: Rail transport in Indonesia

Indonesia's main railways, run by Kereta Api Indonesia, help move people and goods.

Most railways are on the island of Java. There are four groups of railways on Sumatra: one in Aceh, one in North Sumatra, one in West Sumatra, and one in South Sumatra and Lampung. South Sulawesi has a railway in Barru Regency because of the Trans-Sulawesi Railway. The first part, a track from Makassar to Parepare, finished in 2022 and has been running since. There are no railways in other parts of Indonesia, but new ones are being built on islands like Kalimantan and Papua.

Trains between cities are helped by local services, especially around Jakarta and Surabaya. In Jakarta, the KRL Commuterline moves many people each day. There are also train networks in some cities. Palembang LRT started in 2018. The Jakarta MRT and Jakarta LRT started in 2019, and the Greater Jakarta LRT began in 2023.

The government planned to build a high-speed rail in 2015. It will connect Jakarta with Bandung. There are also ideas to extend it to Surabaya. In 2023, the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Rail was partly finished and started carrying passengers in October 2023.

Pipelines

Indonesia has pipelines to move energy and water. In 2013, there were pipelines for condensate covering 1,064 kilometres (661 miles), gas covering 11,702 kilometres (7,271 miles), oil covering 7,767 kilometres (4,826 miles), and other liquids and gases covering shorter distances. These pipelines help move resources across the country's many islands.

Air transport

Main article: Aviation in Indonesia

Air travel is very important in Indonesia because it connects many islands. With thousands of islands, many people choose to fly instead of other ways to travel. This has made air travel very popular.

There have been some safety problems with flights in Indonesia. The country has challenges, like old airports and bad weather. But many people still fly, and experts think Indonesia will become a big market for air travel in the future.

Airports

Main article: List of airports in Indonesia

Indonesia has many airports. The biggest one is in Jakarta, called Soekarno–Hatta International Airport. It is very busy and handles lots of travelers.

Airlines

Main article: List of airlines of Indonesia

Indonesia has many airlines. Some well-known ones include Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, Sriwijaya Air, and Indonesia AirAsia. These airlines help people travel around the country.

Mudik

Main article: Mudik

Mudik, also called Pulang Kampung, is a special time in Indonesia when people travel back to their hometowns or villages for big holidays, especially Lebaran or Eid al-Fitr. Many people leave Greater Jakarta by train, plane, car, or bus, making stations, airports, and roads very busy.

Because so many people want to travel around Lebaran, train and airplane tickets become harder to find and cost more. Some airlines add extra flights to help with the busy time. Train services also add more trains to carry everyone. Bus companies charge more for tickets during mudik, and roads often get very crowded with long traffic jams.