August 21, 2025 | 05:14 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) strongly criticized a proposal from a member of the House of Representatives' Commission VI to introduce designated smoking carriages on trains. YLKI's Executive Secretary, Rio Priambodo, said that the idea is not only unfounded but also violates existing regulations.
Rio explained that the proposal to provide smoking carriages directly contradicts Law No. 17 of 2023 and Government Regulation No. 28 of 2024. "It is clearly stipulated that public transportation is a smoke-free area," Rio said in a written statement on Thursday, August 21, 2025.
YLKI believes that implementing the proposal would actually degrade the quality of service provided by state-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), which has been exemplary so far. Currently, passengers caught smoking inside a train are required to disembark at the nearest station. "Now there will be smoking carriages. This is equivalent to lowering the quality of service," Rio said.
According to YLKI, the designation of public transportation as a smoke-free area was initially established to protect consumers, particularly concerning their safety, comfort, and security. Therefore, the introduction of smoking carriages would not enhance but rather diminish consumer protection.
YLKI urges PT KAI to reject the proposal and consistently adhere to the existing smoke-free area regulations. "In order to protect consumers," Rio stated.
The controversy arose after Nasim Khan, a member of the House of Representatives' Commission VI, proposed that PT KAI offer special carriages for smokers on long-distance train services. He argued that these carriages would not only provide comfort but also generate additional revenue for KAI. Nasim presented his idea during a hearing with the President Director of PT KAI, Bobby Rasyidin, at the Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday, August 20, 2025.
He recalled that similar carriages had existed previously but were later removed. "This is also a suggestion, the carriages that used to exist, but after that were removed, leaving one carriage for a café, for coffee, at least as a smoking area," Nasim said. The legislator from the National Awakening Party expressed confidence that these smoking carriages could be profitable for KAI.
Dani Aswara contributed to the report.
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