Feature: Long commutes, packed trains - Jakarta workers endure long rides for affordable homes

by Hayati Nupus

JAKARTA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- For Putri Adityowati, mornings at Bogor Train Station in Indonesia's West Java province always bring a racing heartbeat, as she joins hundreds of other passengers jostling to squeeze into a commuter train bound for Jakarta.

If she is lucky, the civil servant secures a seat, opens her laptop, and uses the hour-long ride to clear backlogs, coordinate online with colleagues, or simply catch up on sleep. If not, she must stand pressed tightly among fellow commuters until the train reaches its destination.

"When I first relocated from Jakarta to Bogor with my family, I was shocked by the long and exhausting commute. But I'm not alone; millions of other workers experience the same thing," Putri told Xinhua recently.

Like her, many Jakarta employees choose to live in satellite cities such as Bogor and Bekasi in West Java, or Tangerang and Rangkasbitung in Banten Province. Sky-high housing prices and steep rents in Jakarta push families to buy homes in the suburbs, even if it means daily journeys that take a toll physically and mentally.

Even when affordable homes exist within Jakarta, they are often tiny units, unsuitable for families and commonly located in cramped alleys with poor sunlight and ventilation.

As a result, millions of suburban workers commute to Jakarta each day, relying on public transport systems such as the mass rapid transit (MRT), light rail transit (LRT), commuter trains, and TransJakarta buses. Fares start from as low as 3,000 rupiah (around 0.18 U.S. dollars), making them cheap and efficient, though passengers must often endure crowded conditions. The alternative, driving private vehicles, means battling endless traffic jams, paying higher costs, and arriving at work with more fatigue.

For Putri, Bogor offers a more livable environment for raising her children, with its cooler climate, greener surroundings, and better air quality compared to Jakarta's crowded neighborhoods.

When she cannot find a seat, she passes the time listening to podcasts or reading novels, once even finishing an entire book in one trip. Yet the commute can be punishing: on one occasion, she fainted in the packed train and later woke up in the care of station staff.

Other commuters share similar struggles. Journalist Gusty da Costa and his wife chose to buy a home in Bekasi with a mortgage, even though the decision requires him to spend nearly two hours reaching his office in Jakarta's Sudirman Central Business District.

"If we lived in Jakarta, we could only afford to rent, not to own a house. And rent is very expensive," he said.

His routine involves an online motorcycle taxi ride to East Bekasi Station, followed by 45 minutes on the LRT to Dukuh Atas Station, then another short ride by motorcycle taxi or bus. Still, Gusty said things have improved since the LRT began operating in 2023.

"Before, I had to take intercity buses, which cost more and got stuck in traffic jams for hours," he explained. On the LRT, he now spends time scrolling through social media, catching up on breaking news, or arranging interviews with sources.

For Kecik Eko Ernasari, the daily journey is even more daunting: a 130-kilometer commute by train from her home in Maja, Banten Province, to Bogor via Jakarta. Each round trip takes up to eight hours. Years ago, when her office was still in Jakarta, the journey required only about 90 minutes. Today, even though her office has relocated to Bogor, she remains in Maja since she only needs to report to work twice a week.

On her long train rides, Kecik has seen it all: the shoving of passengers trying to squeeze into carriages, or a woman talking loudly to herself, leaving fellow riders bewildered.

"Challenging as it is, the commuter line is still safer than the buses at terminals, where anyone can get on or off without checks. And above all, the fares are very affordable," she said. ■