Jakarta. Municipal land transport operator TransJakarta began to operate 30 electric buses on Tuesday in a landmark move to shift its fleets to emission-free vehicles.

The electric buses produced by Chinese auto firm BYD were imported by local company Vektr Mobiliti Indonesia (VKTR), a subsidiary of Bakrie & Brothers.

“We establish a strategic partnership with BYD Auto, which has become a technological partner in the electric bus industry for Bakrie Autoparts since 2018,” Vektr Mobiliti President Director Gilarsi W. Setijono said in a statement.

Measuring 12 meters in length, the electric bus has a maximum capacity of 60 passengers. 

“TransJakarta requests buses with higher deck for the second batch of their orders and also medium-sized buses that will serve as feeders. We will make sure that these demands are met,” Gilarsi said.

Vektr’s electric buses have passed the trial runs in Jakarta, Aceh, and Bogor. The distance traveled in all those trial runs totaled a whopping 24,000 kilometers.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said last week the capital city plans to operate at least 100 electric buses by 2025.

Several other provinces have expressed interest in the electrification of their respective land transportation services.

Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo said the provincial government is in talks with a number of producers to supply electric buses, adding that ultimately the entire fleet of the municipal transport company will go electric.

State-owned bus operator Damri also has trialed electric buses manufactured by South Korea’s Edison Motors on its shuttle to Soekarno-Hatta Airport.