Govt to push digital transformation of sea toll

The Indonesia's government will push digital transformation of sea toll system by planning to launch an application designed by Jakarta-based multi-service platform GOJEK to halt monopoly practices in the sea transportation and shipment sectors, an official said in a statement here, Sunday.

The online system would increase transparency of the activities at the sea toll services such as goods shipment to the outermost, front-line and disadvantaged islands, Transportation Ministry's Sea Transportation Director Capt. Wisnu Handoko stated in Yogyakarta.

Therefore, consumers at the regions could purchase goods with more transparent and fairer prices.

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"As we understand, most people in Indonesia begin to get familiar with Gojek's applications, and they'll be more familiar with the (sea toll) digital platform designed by the firm," Handoko remarked.

Since its first launching in 2015, the sea toll program is aimed to trim high prices of goods distributed to the outermost regions.

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However, years afterwards, the authority claimed monopoly practices had crippled the sea toll systems, and as the result, the prices of goods remained expensive because of the lack of information and transparency of the shipment's costs.

According to Handoko, the authority had mapped the monopoly patterns, and a preliminary identification revealed that the monopoly practices occurred at the country's eastern regions of Maluku and Papua islands.

"Therefore, we plan to set up a collaboration with Gojek to halt the monopoly practices, so as the result, we are able to lower the price gap of the goods traded in the country's western and eastern regions," he added.

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