Indonesia Raises Prices of Some Non-Subsidized Gasoline; Jakarta Urges Use of Public Transport

(Central News Agency, Jakarta, 10th – Special Dispatch) After multi-faceted evaluations and coordination with the government, Indonesia's state-owned oil company Pertamina officially raised the prices of two types of non-government-subsidized gasoline today to ensure supply security. The Jakarta local government is urging residents to switch to public transportation to cope with commuting costs and to improve the capital's long-standing traffic congestion and air pollution.

Indonesia's gasoline is mainly divided into two categories: government-subsidized and non-subsidized. Indonesia's national news agency Antara reported today that Pertamina raised the prices of two types of non-government-subsidized gasoline. The most popular premium gasoline, Pertamax (RON 92), increased from 12,300 Indonesian rupiah per liter (approximately NT$22) to 16,250 rupiah (approximately NT$29).

Additionally, the environmentally friendly gasoline with bioethanol, Pertamax Green 95 (RON 95), increased from 12,900 rupiah per liter (approximately NT$23) to 17,000 rupiah (approximately NT$30).

Pertamina's Secretary, Roberth Marcelino Verieza Dumatubun, stated that this adjustment in non-subsidized gasoline prices is part of a regular rolling evaluation based on the government's price formula, international oil prices, and market economic efficiency. It has been coordinated with the government, and supply security at all gas stations across Indonesia is guaranteed.

He said that non-subsidized gasoline has a high octane rating and is more environmentally friendly, and car owners with better financial means should actively choose it. As for government-subsidized gasoline like Pertalite, which costs 10,000 rupiah per liter (approximately NT$18), it should be reserved for motorcycle users, public service vehicles, and low-to-middle-income groups to ensure that the subsidy quotas for daily commuting and livelihoods of all citizens are not diminished.

Furthermore, Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung stated that while this gasoline price increase raises commuting costs, it conversely serves as an opportunity to promote green transportation and will increase residents' willingness to switch to public transport.

He emphasized that the connectivity rate of Jakarta's public transportation network currently reaches 93%, with facilities such as the MRT, LRT, and TransJakarta bus rapid transit being very comprehensive. Free fare incentives have already been implemented for 15 specific groups, including the elderly and students.

To increase public transport usage, the local government had previously issued an administrative order requiring all Jakarta civil servants to refrain from driving their own cars on Wednesdays and to use public transportation instead. Anung said that although the current public transport usage rate in Jakarta is still below 30%, he is confident it will grow steadily at a rate of 5% to 10% per year, thereby improving the capital's chronic traffic jams and air pollution problems. (Editor: Zhang Zhixuan) 1150610