Jakarta smart card to track public transport needs

Jakarta will use data collected from its new payments card to track users’ public transport habits and allocate food rations for the poor.

When citizens use the card for bus payments, the local government can track which areas have higher number of passengers and where they get off, said Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Governor of Jakarta.

Based on those information we can plan new routes, he added. The card, called Jakarta One, will help the government allocate food rations to the poor. It will be used to verify which households are eligible, he said.

Currently, records for rice distributions are handwritten. Jakarta One will include citizens’ ID number and financial background so subsidies will be given to the intended parties.

The payments card will launch in 2017. Image by BxHxTxCx, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0