To keep regular vehicles from using busway lanes, the governor says he supports the transportation agency's idea of using automatic gates that would only open for Transjakarta buses.

"I have yet to officially approve it, but I allow the transportation agency to perform tests using a gate," Governor Fauzi Bowo said Wednesday.

Similar comments came from Deputy Governor Prijanto who said the transportation agency should take the busway lane restriction seriously.

"Besides setting an automatic gate, the agency should involve the police in law enforcement," Prijanto said.

Transportation agency head Muhammad Tauchid Tjakra Amidjaja had previously said his office would try a device to prevent nonbusway vehicles from using the lanes.

"We're now studying the possibility of implementing an automatic gate which will only open when a bus is coming. If the gate is feasible, I don't see any problem in implementing it next year," Tauchid said.

While busway operator Transjakarta claims to provide better service than regular buses, passengers have complained about its service, including the long headway in part caused by private cars and other buses that enter the busway lanes.

Transjakarta has also faced delays in providing the buses for the new corridors.

Transjakarta received Rp 503 billion in the 2008 budget, but it has yet to procure buses for the new corridors.

Corridor 8 (Lebak Bulus-Harmoni) will need 45 buses, Corridor 9 (Pinang Ranti-Pluit) 97 buses and Corridor 10 (Cililitan-Tanjung Priok port) 64.

"We have yet to run a tender for the buses because we're still completing the necessary documents," Tauchid said.

He said that if the busway infrastructure was ready by the end of this month, his office would try out the lanes using buses from the existing corridors.

However, he added, he would check if the existing corridors needed new buses to support operation.

"We're analyzing our service. If the existing lanes need new buses, we will use the buses from the latest procurement," he said.

According to data from Transjakarta, the number of busway passengers has seen a more than 20 percent increase in passengers since the fuel price increase last May.