The third and last virtual workshop from a series of workshops carried out under the technical assistance (TA) on “E-Mobility Adoption Roadmap for the Indonesian Mass Transit Program” was conducted on December 14 -15, 2021 from 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. This 2-day workshop was arranged by the World Bank, with the support of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), and co-funded by the Mobility and Logistics (MOLO) Trust Fund and the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP). The event was focused on disseminating the e-mobility adoption roadmap for the new bus rapid transit (BRT) systems in Greater Bandung and Greater Medan.

During this first day of the workshop, the experts presented the BRT electrification plan for each metropolitan area, including (i) depot options and bus routes allocation; (ii) charging strategy and charging infrastructure; (iii) total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis; (iv) proposed roadmap for Greater Bandung and Greater Medan BRT electrification; and (v) grid impact analysis. There were also a panel discussion with staff from West Java and North Sumatra Transportation Agencies and State Electricity Company (PLN). Around 120 people participated in the first day of this workshop, most of them were Government of Indonesia (GoI) officials and relevant Indonesian stakeholders. 

The second day of the workshop was focused on the (i) environmental impacts of BRT electrification; (ii) recommended policy options to bridge the e-mobility policy gaps identified, and (iii) proposed institutional and business models for e-mobility adoption for the public transport system in Indonesia. It also included a panel discussion with participants from the Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of Finance, and Regional Planning Agency from the provinces of West Java and North Sumatra. Approximately 90 attendees joined the second day of the workshop.  

The key takeaways emerged from the workshop included: (i) the depot locations for the BRT should be decided in the initial BRT electrification plan as it will impact on the charging strategy and BRTs operational costs; (ii) the partial electrification scenario for the BRT implementation is preferred by the governments of Greater Bandung and Greater Medan; (iii) the contract period has a significant impact on the TCO (having 15-year contracts would reduce the TCO); (iv) the expected electricity demand due to the electrification of both BRTs can still be accommodated by the current energy grid; and (v) GOI needs to create an enabling environment to leverage private sector participation for e-mobility adoption by providing strong direct and indirect incentives, extending contract period with bus operators, and adopting split business models for public transit.