From 2016 to early 2020 Agung Wicaksono was entrusted to be Director of Operations and Maintenance of MRT Jakarta and then as President Director of Transjakarta. These two responsibilities were not an easy duty for him, plus he has to step outside from the academic world of ideals, to work in the transportation industry which gets your hands dirty.

Although not easy, Agung Wicaksono said that his principal is all of his knowledge must be useful for every area of life. He also said, “If there is a state duty for us, we cannot choose, and only one thing from us as an answer: “yes, ready”.”

 

As the Director of MRT Jakarta, Agung Wicaksono has the purpose of making talented human resources to operate the MRT Jakarta. For Transjakarta, he wanted to create complete integration for a better service.

MASS TRANSPORTATION IS A TOOL TO CHANGE CULTURE

Agung Wicaksono believes that mass transportation mode is not only about moving people from one place to another; it’s about changing culture. He considered mass transportation mode; it is the design that shapes behavior, not the opposite. It means people would adjust to the system of the transportation mode. If mass transportation were designed in a modern way, people would be more stylish too. With this principle, Agung Wicaksono then formulated the key success factors of MRT Jakarta: proven system, capable human resources, and cultured and civilized passengers and customers.

The idea of a proven system was obtained from the experience of Agung Wicaksono when he was sent to Hong Kong by the MRT Jakarta to learn about the MRT system. As we know, the Jakarta MRT train is imported directly from Japan. It is not because Indonesia can’t make a high-quality train like Japan. Still, Indonesia needs a guaranteed system for its quality standards –considering that Japan has operated the MRT for a long time.

The second principle for a high quality of Jakarta MRT is capable of human resources. “It is okay to use Japan Technology for the system and hardware, but it has to be Indonesian for the brain.” As the Director of Operation and Maintenance, Agung Wicaksono has the responsibility to create professional and international standards of Jakarta MRT human resources.

The proven system and capable human resources are not enough to make great Jakarta MRT and modernize Jakarta people’s behavior. To change behavior, the people has a central role. What does it mean? The people must have willingness to change their behavior following the Jakarta MRT system. The people must have the desire and drive to be shaped as cultured and civilized passengers and customers.

INTEGRATION FOR A MORE CONNECTED TRANSPORTATION

As President Director of Transjakarta, Agung Wicaksono strived to make Transjakarta more connected and comfortable for its customer. So from 2018 until 2020, he managed an integrated system called Jak Lingko created by the DKI Jakarta’s government. The system has three focus on integration: physical integration, route integration, and payment integration.

For physical integration, Jak Lingko focused on rebuilding the Transjakarta bus stops. Not only about increasing the convenience but also for integrating Trans Jakarta bus stops with Jakarta MRT stations. Under the leadership of Agung Wicaksono, the Transjakarta bus stop was built connected with the Jakarta MRT and LRT station, making it easier for passengers to use both of these mass transportation in one route.

The physical integration was made with purpose because, in the Jak Lingko system, there is also a route integration that allows users to use three modes of mass transportation at once, namely Transjakarta, MRT Jakarta, and LRT Jakarta. A number of route integration has been developed and operating, and furthermore it would be implemented to all bus stops and stations of MRT, LRT and KRL Commuterline.

Along with the bus stops and stations’ physical and route integration, payment integration is the next step. Agung explains that people will use all of Jakarta’s integrated mass transportation with single payment method in the future. This integrated payment system will make a more efficient and convenient payment method for the passengers.

IDEALISM THAT WAS FORMED SINCE COLLEGE

His idealism in carrying out his duties at MRT Jakarta and Transjakarta is not a character that has emerged in the past one to two years. Not many people know that Agung Wicaksono was once the Secretary-General of the Communication Forum of Departmental Association in 1997 and was part of the Indonesian reform student fighters. Agung Wicaksono stated, “If we do not say that there is something wrong with this country, then we are sinful in our essence.”

From this moment of life, Agung Wicaksono makes a promise to himself that he will always give his best to make an impact on Indonesia. There is one quote that Agung Wicaksono belive until this time, “At Twenty if you’re not an idealist, you don’t have a heart, but at forty if you’re still an idealist, you don’t have a brain.” He then said, “but I believe that the brain will always develop and evolve, but it’s the heart that keeps you alive.”