Public Minibuses (Angkot): The Top Choice for Public Transportation During the Pandemic

The 2020 Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) survey on public behavior during the pandemic shows that mini-buses (angkot/mikrolet) were the most chosen mode of public transportation. 23.21% of respondents stated they chose mini-buses for travel.

Online and conventional motorcycle taxis followed with 20.6%. Taxis/online taxis accounted for 20.02%, buses/minibuses/boats for 19.29%, and trains/commuter trains/MRT for 17.78%.

The survey also revealed that many public transportation modes still neglected health protocols, particularly mini-buses (angkot/mikrolet). Only 43.15% of respondents reported that most passengers maintained social distancing inside mini-buses.

According to BPS Head Suhariyanto, the difficulty in maintaining social distancing in mini-buses is due to their limited space. Therefore, the government needs to pay more attention to health protocols in mini-buses.

Besides social distancing, another challenge for public transportation is driver compliance with mask-wearing. Respondents reported that only 59.62% of mini-bus drivers and 57.58% of bus drivers wore masks.