Bank Indonesia is seeking to integrate electronic payment

Bank Indonesia (BI) is seeking to integrate electronic payment system of various banks and issuers on toll roads during the Eid al-Fitr homecoming in June.

BI Transformation Center Executive Director Onny Widjanarko said that the central bank has done the trial on the electronic payment integration on the toll road between Surabaya and Sidoarjo. The next trial will be implemented in Cikopo-Palimanan (Cipali) toll booths.

Onny added that the central bank has options to integrate electronic payment system on toll roads during homecoming. The use of hybrid cards is one of the options.

The option will be taken if the integration of technical infrastructure for toll payments could not be realized in time before the homecoming season. However, Onny said that BI would need to consult with industry working group and another regulator i.e. the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry.

“We had wanted to implement the integrated payment systems during lebaran (Eid) but we are still discussing it in the working group whether select toll gates could adopt hybrid cards but we have to consult with the government,” he said.

Santoso, the director of private lender Bank Centra Asia (BCA), the issuer of BCA Flazz cards in Cipali, said the bank would allow other banks to join its toll road payment system.

“In Cipali and Gresik, BCA has encouraged [other] banks to integrate their payment systems. Meanwhile, other toll roads which are operated by Bank Mandiri must first be discussed because Mandiri has a special partnership with other state-owned lenders and state-owned toll operator Jasa Marga,” Santoso.