Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has signed Law No. 2 of 2024 on the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta/DKJ), which includes restrictions on the age of vehicles allowed to operate in Jakarta.
This provision is stipulated in Article 24 Paragraph 2 Letter g of Law No. 2 of 2024, which grants the authority to limit the age and number of privately owned motor vehicles. However, the DKJ law did not specify the age limit for the vehicles to be provided.
Nevertheless, the clause on age and number restrictions for private vehicles in the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (DKJ) has sparked controversy. Some support it for the sake of clean air and safety, while older vehicle users oppose it due to their inability to purchase new vehicles and their dependence on old vehicles as a source of income.
The controversy over age restrictions for vehicles in Jakarta has been a recurring theme from the era of Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok), through Anies Baswedan, and now with Heru Budi Hartono, but no one has implemented it. The move is part of the government's efforts to address traffic congestion and air pollution in the city.
When Ahok became governor in 2015, he planned to make Jakarta free of vehicles over 10 years old by 2017, which would result in high taxes or the inability to renew the vehicle's registration. However, this plan did not materialize.
Subsequently, DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan continued efforts to restrict older vehicles. In 2019, he issued Governor's Instruction No. 66 of 2019, which banned vehicles over 10 years old from circulating in Jakarta starting in 2025. However, this plan has not yet been implemented.
Now the discussion has resurfaced with the enactment of Law No. 2 of 2024 on the Special Capital Region of Jakarta. In this regard, the Acting Governor of Jakarta, Heru Budi Hartono, stated that the regulations on age restrictions for vehicles in Jakarta are not currently in effect.
He stated that the implementation of these regulations depends on the authority of the Jakarta Provincial Government, and he considers that age restrictions for vehicles have not had a significant impact on traffic congestion. Therefore, these regulations have not been implemented.
