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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Bandung City Government in Indonesia has started the trial of electric public transportation called "Angklung" on the Gunung Batu-Stasiun Bandung route on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. This electric public transportation is the result of collaboration with PT Marlip Indo Mandiri."This is a new innovation that we are implementing. It may not be perfect yet, but this is one of the forms of hardware for the future public transportation," said Bandung Mayor Muhammad Farhan, as quoted from a press release on Wednesday, October 29, 2025.Farhan stated that the electric public transportation is an innovation in the transportation sector that is being developed by the Bandung City Government, which plans to reform the management of public transportation. "We are taking steps towards what is expected to be a reform in the management of transportation in Bandung," he said.The initial trial is being conducted by operating 1 unit of the Angklung vehicle for three months. The results of this trial will be the basis for its development in 2026."We are trying one unit first, we will see its operation for three months. The battery can travel up to 200 kilometers, while the operational distance per day is about 180 kilometers, so it is sufficient until 9:00 PM," said Farhan.Head of the Bandung City Transportation Agency, Rasdian Setiadi, stated that in the initial stage of operation, the Gunung Batu-Stasiun Bandung route was chosen to observe public response and the effectiveness of the vehicle before expanding to other routes."We want to see to what extent the public responds, because the condition of our public transportation has been quite outdated. This is part of the effort in rejuvenation and improving the quality of service," he said.The Chair of the Bandung City Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD), Asep Mulyadi, said that the electric minibuses produced by Marlip are expected to provide benefits to the public. "The most important thing is that the public can feel the benefits, being more efficient and orderly. The presence of Marlip should not eliminate what already exists," he said.PT Marlip Indo Mandiri Founder Masrah Marang mentioned that the electric minibuses operate in the same way as other minibuses. "The difference is that the payment system is cashless, using QRIS and tap cards via eMoney," he said.Masrah stated that the digital payment system is expected to be integrated with the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) services that have been operating in Bandung, thus facilitating the public to switch modes of transportation.Editor’s Choice: Bandung Design Biennale 2025: Exploring the Past, Shaping the FutureClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
