On the first day, Gonggomtua Sitanggang, ITDP Southeast Asia Director, and senior staff accompanied Heather to meet with Leah Rafferty, UK PACT Senior Delivery Lead (Transport for London), who was also visiting Jakarta. They also met with Ianto Jones, Head of Low Carbon Energy and Infrastructure at the British Embassy Jakarta, Harriet Cooney, Deputy Head of Low Carbon Infrastructure at the British Embassy Jakarta, Maria Renny Herdanti, Cities and Transport Lead at the British Embassy Jakarta, and Laili Muttamimah, UK PACT Program Officer for Low Carbon Energy and Infrastructure at the British Embassy Jakarta, to discuss sustainable transportation issues in Indonesia. The discussion also included the support and collaboration of ITDP and the British Embassy Jakarta through the UK PACT program in developing a sustainable transportation system in Indonesia. Heather then visited various transportation integration points in Jakarta, such as Cawang Station and Rasuna Said Station, which connect LRT and BRT (Transjakarta), CSW Station, which connects MRT and BRT (Transjakarta), Bundaran HI station, and the Kendal Tunnel pedestrianization area.

On the second day, she spent time at the ITDP Indonesia office meeting with staff members who presented their ongoing efforts and programs to support sustainable transportation in Indonesia.

The next day, Heather flew to Surabaya to meet with the Head of Bappeda Surabaya, Irvan Wahyudradjad, and staff to further discuss collaboration with a focus on public transportation planning, Low-Emission Zone (LEZ), parking, bus electrification and supporting infrastructure, and integrated city development. Heather also visited several places in Surabaya, such as Kota Lama and Jalan Tunjungan.

One day before the “Sustainable E-Mobility Event: Upscaling Bus Electrification Nationwide,” Heather met with Fikri Assegaf, Advisory Board Member of ITDP Indonesia, to discuss the current state of the climate crisis and air quality and its impact on cities in Indonesia as well as the potential and strategies in advocacy. Heather then visited PT Transportasi Jakarta (Transjakarta), where she met with Daud Joseph, Director of Operations and Safety. They discussed ITDP’s recommendations and assistance to Transjakarta.

On the sixth day of the visit, Heather opened the “Sustainable E-Mobility Event: Upscaling Bus Electrification Nationwide,” also attended by the Minister of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia, Budi Karya Sumadi. In her speech, Heather emphasized that with the electrification of public transportation, ITDP is committed to improving the quality of life of more than 27 million residents in 11 metropolitan areas. “Our study focuses on improving air quality and reducing noise pollution through the electrification of public transportation, which will significantly improve the quality of life of more than 27 million residents in 11 metropolitan areas and foster healthier and more vibrant communities,” she explained. After the event, Heather and Gonggomtua Sitanggang, ITDP’s Southeast Asia Director, conducted exclusive interviews with four national media outlets. Heather provided an overview of ITDP as a global nonprofit organization. At the same time, Gonggom explained the recently released “Roadmap Study and National Incentive Program for Electrification of Road-Based Urban Public Transport” study. Heather also discussed international approaches to addressing the climate crisis in the transportation sector, drawing on case studies from other countries in improving air quality and reducing congestion in cities.

The next day, Heather met with the Jakarta Provincial Government’s Assistant for Economy and Finance, Sri Haryati, and the Head of the Jakarta Transportation Agency, Syafrin Liputo, along with the Bureau of Economy and Finance and the Jakarta Transportation Agency. This meeting discussed suggestions on what actions Jakarta should follow up on, the challenges faced, and perspectives on policies and Jakarta’s new status. The last day of Heather’s visit was closed with an exclusive interview with The Jakarta Post, which focused on what the city should do to make its citizens more comfortable and safe.