Jakarta, June 22, 2025 – Public transportation is still in the spotlight in all circles until now. In addition to its messy governance, the high rate of sexual harassment against women on public transportation shows that safe spaces for women are not fully guaranteed. A report from the Safe Public Space Coalition data shows that almost half of female respondents (48.9%) have experienced sexual harassment when using public transportation. This situation is certainly very concerning in that it is as if women do not have the right to get a safe and comfortable space. This condition emphasizes the importance of encouraging a more inclusive and gender-perspective transportation ecosystem.
As a form of commitment and effort to resolve this issue, Enter Nusantara was present as a guest speaker in a public discussion entitled Keluh Resah Kota (KeReTa) #2: “Can Girls Love Public Transport?” organized by the Jakarta Transportation Discussion Forum (FDTJ). The event was part of the Raya-Raya Jakarta celebration at BERKAIN, a collaboration between FDTJ and the Indonesia Tourist Information Center (ITIC) to commemorate Jakarta’s 488th birthday.
The discussion was successfully held in the Multipurpose Hall of the Bank Indonesia Museum and successfully brought together stakeholders from various transportation and urban mobility sectors. Reka Maharwati, as the coordinator of Enter Nusantara, shared her views on public transportation issues, especially the connection between environmentally friendly lifestyles and public transportation that is friendly to all.
“The ‘Hot Girls Love Public Transport’ trend on social media can actually be interpreted as an opportunity to change the perception of young people towards public transportation. In the midst of the climate crisis, public transportation that is friendly to all and sustainable is one of the main solutions to reduce carbon emissions in cities,” said Reka.
Reka also emphasized that in this case, good public transportation can support the clean energy transition by reducing dependence on fossil-based private vehicles. Fossil-based private vehicles, apart from causing dirty air, can cause traffic congestion to worsen due to the increasing volume of vehicles. According to Reka, encouraging a shift in urban lifestyles towards a more environmentally friendly direction cannot be separated from the provision of safe, inclusive, and sustainable public services.
In addition to representatives from Enter Nusantara, this discussion also successfully presented speakers from PT Transjakarta, PT Jaklingko Indonesia, and ITDP Indonesia. Each of them successfully explained the strategies and challenges in realizing public transportation that can support gender equality and inclusiveness, ranging from safety features and service rates to urban spatial concepts.
This activity also did not only look at one side of the speakers; the interactive session Keluh Resah Kota invited participants to convey their complaints and hopes for public transportation through written opinions. The opinions were then read out and directly responded to by the speakers, thus creating an open and participatory discussion space.
Through participation in this discussion, we affirm our commitment to encourage and support the presence of social and environmental transformation that is more environmentally friendly and equitable, including the public transportation sector. Safe and inclusive public transportation is not only about mobility efficiency but also about rights, comfort, and a livable city future for all, especially for women.
