In an effort to reduce congestion levels and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, many cities in emerging economies are betting on mass transit systems. However, the phasing-in of these systems within already consolidated and heavily urbanised areas is not easy, as they represent the removal of existing bus-like systems and paratransit, the reduction of benefits for car users, and require high upfront investment costs. One of these systems is bus rapid transit (BRT), which consists of segregated lanes exclusively for buses to transport many people in the fastest way and avoid traffic congestion, but at a comparatively more affordable capital cost than railway-based systems. This innovative system appeared as a Global South solution in Latin America and has become a major referent for the implementation of more affordable mass transit solutions at a faster speed.

However, many cities struggle to implement BRT due to a series of challenges from the need of an institutional framework and financing to the managing of competing transport modes and public opposition from car users and informal bus operators. When these challenges are not solved, already implemented BRT systems struggle to successfully perform and expand their network to increase the service coverage. This is particularly the case due to the design of BRT components (e.g. the quality of the infrastructure, vehicles and service) that fail to meet users’ expectations and needs. For this reason, many BRT systems do not reach their full potential in order to improve the mobility needs of citizens.

As one of the cities inspired by Bogota’s Transmilenio, Jakarta has implemented the largest BRT system in the world: Transjakarta. This city, capital of the Southeast Asian nation of Indonesia and one of the world’s fastest economies, has not been able to align its accelerated development with sustainable transit. In fact, Jakarta started its rapid urbanisation growth during the second half of the 20th century, before the consolidation of its mass transit systems. In contrast, the city followed car-oriented planning strategies that, together with fuel subsidies and the increase of income among citizens, have led to high motorisation levels of private vehicles (cars and motorcycles) and congestion of its roads in polluting vehicles that represent a hazard to public health.