Public Transportation Issue in Cirebon City: Trans Cirebon

Introduction
Mobility become increase every year as high as vehicle occupancy number for people
using their own vehicle to move from one place to another place. People prefer to choose using
their own vehicle than using public transportation because of reason of uncomfortable public
transportation provided by the government. Another reason people choose to use own vehicle
because they want to be flexible without waiting long time to reach their destination. This
situation leads to increasing load of vehicle ratio that contribute to traffic congestion.

Transportation as connector for urban-rural linkage society must integrate activity center and its
support such as education service, housing service, commercial service and other activities both
in urban scale and regional scale. Good transportation is able to be evaluated through its
connectivity and its integration mode to each other.

According to West Java Province Spatial Plan, Cirebon City will be developed as central of
Ciayumajekuning that supported its city and its hinterland (Cirebon Regency, Indramayu
Regency, Majalengka Regency and Kuningan Regency). The spatial plan had set Cirebon city as
central of trade and service in east part of West Java Province and new economic center has been
planned into Cirebon Area. As central city, Cirebon City must provide some facilities and
infrastructures which integrated to its hinterland and provide public transportation that can
accommodate mobilization in urban areas and rural linkage. But currently Cirebon City as one of
development big city in West Java Province has phenomena in increasing total number of own
vehicles every year that can be shown by graphic 1. From the table, in 2017 motor cycle increased
9.516 unit and private car increased 1.983 unit from 2016. Increasing of own vehicle in Cirebon
leads to traffic congestion in some route in Cirebon city.
 Graphic 1
Number of Vehicle Occupancy in Cirebon City
years of 2014 - 2017
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
-
2014 2015 2016 2017
motor cycle 136,147 139,621 147,861 157,014
private car 25,830 27,559 29,017 30,997
lorry 13,958 14,030 14,435 14,802

motor cycle private car lorry

Source: Cirebon Municipalities in Figures, 2018

Public Transportation Problem in Cirebon City

City Transportation (Angkot) in Cirebon City 2018 Source:

Map ofTransportation
Angkot Route Department of City
in Cirebon
Cirebon Municipality, 2019
Angkota Length (km) Number of
vehicle
(Unit)
D1 22,8 112
D2 20,2 131
D3 15,6 65
D4 15,68 127
D5 15,08 134
D6 20,7 198
D7 20,2 40
D8 16,3 89
D9 16,4 40
D10 27,3 43
Source: Transportation Department of
Source: Cirebon Municipality in Figures 2018
Cirebon Municipality, 2019

There are 936 units of conventional public transportation/ city transportation (angkot)
that provide some routes in within 10 routes in inner city of Cirebon City and there are 4 routes
for angkot connected from Cirebon to Cirebon Regency and some limited buses that connected
to other regencies. Public transportation in Cirebon city has operational hours from 05.00 AM to
06.00 PM. While online transportation developed in Cirebon City to accommodate mobility of
people in urban areas and periphery areas surrounding Cirebon City.
The main problem in public transportation of Cirebon City is unintegrated public
transportation that served from one place to another place and some area could not be reached
by city transportation. If people want go to other places that have no connection in same route,
they have to change in another route, then they have to wait to look another angkot. Nowadays
people as user of public transportation will prefer to choose mode that have effectiveness to get
their destination easily and quickly. Ineffectiveness route make spending long time in journey
and spending more cost to reach in one destination that cannot be accessed in one trip. Another
problem is that some of angkot in Indonesia has same characteristic for waiting passenger long
time in some places that made inconvenience for user. That’s why people choose to use online
transportation or own vehicle which in fact will contribute on improving traffic congestion in
Cirebon City.

Trans Cirebon as Issue to Solve Public Transportation in Cirebon City

For accelerating Cirebon City as central city, there is policy for improving integrating in
public mass transportation that connected in inner city and periphery area or outer city. One of
concept for public transportation is Trans Cirebon which has concept similar to Trans Jakarta or
Trans Jogja for supporting people to get integrated transport facilities. Trans Cirebon is expected
able to change preference of people to use public transportation and finally will reduce traffic
congestion in Cirebon City. Trans Cirebon will connect some route with one access payment that
help people reducing their cost for transportation cost. This effort is expected attracting more
people interest in using it. If convenience factor in time management can be provided by public
transportation, social awareness for changing mode to public transportation will increase.
Trans Cirebon is not only tools for solving problem in traffic congestion, but it can be contributed
in local revenue income also. Trans Cirebon can be operated by private sector using public private
partnership scheme or can be operated by local government in Cirebon.
 Issue of Trans Cirebon in News

Source: www.radarcirebon.com Source: www.pikiran-rakyat.com

According to news www.radarcirebon.com on 5 September 2019, Cirebon Municipality

has accepted 10 units of buses trans Cirebon supported by Ministry of Transportation. Trans
Cirebon is a way to optimize current city transportation (angkot) which has no route and no
connectivity and it can be complementary modes for public transportation choice. Based on the
plan, the Trans Cirebon will be implemented in 2019. In fact, no implementation to operate it in
Cirebon City until now caused by uncertainty in routes, operational hours and authority.
The main problem is unreadiness of local government authority to operate the trans Cirebon
because lack of plan for infrastructure supporting trans Cirebon such as shelter point and certain
route. The Ministry of transportation gave the buses to operate in Cirebon Raya area but there
is no coordination yet among of Cirebon city and its hinterland to integrate public transportation.

Conclusion
Trans Cirebon is an alternative way to reduce traffic congestion and to integrate
convenience public transportation. It will be potential issue for long-term planning which
enhance people to use public transportation rather than private vehicles. However, there is
current problem that has to be solved in supporting infrastructure and management scheme.
Local Government has to be ready to encounter this problem turn into opportunities supporting
public transportation and increasing local revenue through acceleration programs of Trans
Cirebon. It will support many activities center and facilitate people to move in a connectivity.