Batik Solo Trans (abbreviated BST) is a
bus rapid transit system serving the city of
Surakarta,
Central Java. Launched in 2010, it currently operates 12 corridors.[2]
Summary
Batik Solo Trans was launched on 1 September 2010 by then-mayor of Surakarta
Joko Widodo.[3] The service, which initially had only a single corridor and 38 stations,[4] was expanded with its second corridor in 2014 and a third in 2018.[5][6]
In 2017, estimates place that 5,500-6,000 people used the first corridor daily, with another 3,500-4,000 in the second.[7] The city's transportation board claimed that around 5,000 used the third corridor service daily.[8] While it has some features of BRT systems, BST has low passenger throughput and lack a right of way in roads.[9]
There were 90 buses in service on 2021.[10] The BST also uses local
angkot to act as feeders to the service.[9]
During the
COVID-19 pandemic, fares were abolished starting in July 2020. In January 2023, fares were reestablished and passengers were required to use noncash payments (such as electronic money cards or
QRIS). Ridership immediately prior to this change was reported to be over 20,000 daily passengers, though this figure declined by 20-25% following this change.[11][1]