KAI Commuter


PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia is a subsidiary of the Indonesian national railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia which manages commuter rail services. Initially founded as an operator of Greater Jakarta commuter rail, the company is currently responsible for several commuter rail and local train systems in Indonesia.

History

KAI Commuter originated from the Jabotabek Urban Transport Division of KAI, which was separated from Operational Area I Jakarta of KAI. The division handles the Jabotabek commuter rail, while the Daerah Operasi I handles long-distance trains and railway infrastructures.
KAI Commuter was founded on 15 September 2008 as PT KAI Commuter Jabodetabek, as a spin-off from KAI. The company formation was based on Presidential Instruction No. 5 of 2008 and Letter of State Minister of State-Owned Enterprises No. S-653/MBU/2008 dated 12 August 2008; and got its operating permits from Ministry of Transportation. The main tasks of the newly formed subsidiary is to provide commuter rail transportation services using electric trains in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi and surrounding areas as well as non-passenger transportation business. Ticket revenues, rolling stock maintenance, and station management was transferred to KCJ, but all operational matters, rolling stock, stations and infrastructures remained under KAI's responsibility.
On 19 September 2017, PT KAI Commuter Jabodetabek changed its name into PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia, three days after the operator's 9th anniversary. The name change reflects the wider mandate as a commuter rail operator across the country. KCI then rebranded as KAI Commuter on 28 September 2020 along with the logo change of KAI.
From 2020 onwards, KAI Commuter began expanding its operations nationwide. Starting October 2020, the operations of both the Prambanan Express commuter rail and Lokal Merak train previously managed by KAI were transferred to KAI Commuter after obtain operation permit from Ministry of Transportation on 3 June 2020. Prambanan Express is a commuter rail serving Yogyakarta and Surakarta greater areas, which includes cities and regencies in Special Region of Yogyakarta and Central Java, while Lokal Merak is an economy-class local train operating from Rangkasbitung Station to Merak Station and vice versa. Prambanan Express is currently no longer serving Surakarta greater area as the electric KAI Commuter Yogyakarta Line became operational in February 2021 on the segment between Surakarta and Yogyakarta. Starting 1 April 2022, KAI Commuter took over the Greater Bandung commuter trains, which consisted of two lines. In 2024, the entire Surabaya commuter rail network began to be operated by KAI Commuter as its eastern division.

Services

KMT

KMT, or formerly COMMET', is the brand of contactless smart card issued by KAI Commuter. First launched on 1 July 2013, it is used primarily for multiple journey purpose in KRL Commuterline-branded services. The card has no expiry date. In Greater Jakarta KRL Commuterline, it can be used with a minimum credit of Rp 5,000 after KAI Commuter introduced fare adjustment machines. Passengers who don't have enough credit in their card can top-up at fare adjustment machines or two-way ticket counters.
In October 2021, KAI Commuter began a trial to expand the use of Multi Trip Card on other major public transportation systems in Greater Jakarta such as Transjakarta, MRT Jakarta and LRT Jakarta. Following the trial, KAI Commuter began to partner bus operators and local governments in Yogyakarta, Central Java and East Java, expanding the use of KMT for Trans Jateng, Trans Jogja and Trans Jatim bus systems. However, most notably, it is not accepted as a payment method for BRT programs supported by central government-backed Teman Bus and Biskita.
There were single-trip cards called THB running on the same system, but with an expiry date of seven days since last purchase. The THB was discontinued in August 2019.