Eligibility rules still being developed
Pramono announced the policy on October 22 at the opening of the Jakarta Career and Independent Workforce Expo 2026. Job seekers will become eligible for the city's free-transport card, known as KLG, as the program grows from 15 beneficiary groups to 21.
The Jakarta administration is still working out the requirements and procedures. Pramono said recipients must be genuinely unemployed and seeking work. "If you're already employed and seeking a career change, we won't provide the free services. However, first-time job seekers will receive top priority," he said.
Explaining his decision to include job seekers, Pramono said he believed their experience traveling by public transportation to find work would be unforgettable.
Broader benefits and planned fare changes
Besides Jakarta job seekers, the expansion will cover people accompanying passengers with disabilities, patients referred for care, disaster victims, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) receiving assistance. It will also include low-income students who are not covered by the Jakarta Smart Card (KJP) or Jakarta Excellent Student Card (KJMU) programs.
Fare adjustments for Transjakarta, Transjabodetabek, and LRT Jakarta are planned for the same January 1 start date, according to Berita Jakarta, the provincial government's news service.
In a September 29, 2026, statement, Pramono said Jakarta's public transport fares had remained unchanged for 20 years and were lower than those in surrounding areas. He said the adjustments would reduce subsidies for higher-income passengers and redirect that funding to low-income residents.
How the existing card program works
The Kartu Layanan Gratis program operates under Governor Regulation No. 33 of 2025, which defines the 15 groups currently eligible for free rides. The cards provide access to Transjakarta, MRT Jakarta, and LRT Jakarta.
Bank Jakarta issues the cards with a six-month validity period. Cardholders can renew them at the bank's branches, CNN Indonesia reports.
Registrations and trips increased in 2025
Transjakarta registered 76,500 KLG applicants in 2025, a 143 percent increase from 32,200 in 2024, according to provincial government data. Free-fare riders accounted for 6.05 percent of total Transjakarta ridership, compared with 4.61 percent a year earlier.
KLG users made 25 million trips in 2025, about 47.1 percent more than the previous year's 17 million. Older adults were the largest user group, accounting for 14,350,750 trips, or 57.38 percent of KLG trips. KJP Plus/KJMU student cardholders followed with 3,526,432 trips, representing 14.10 percent.
