The $43 Billion Race to Fix Jakarta's Choking Traffic
- Indonesian capital opens first metro after decades of delays
- Traffic revamp planned to plug $7.1 billion economic losses
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Muhammad Ridick would rather endure a back-breaking five hours of commuting on his motorbike each day than ride Jakarta’s notorious public transport.
“It’s very difficult to get a seat on a bus or train during rush hour,” said Ridick, 25, an employee at PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia, whose 80 kilometer (50 mile) round-trip journey to work and back means he often doesn’t reach his home in the town of Bekasi until 10 p.m. “Rain and flooding often force commuter trains to stop at random times and places. It’s frustrating.”